Beauty and the Dancer
by zanessatroyellafangirl
Summary: Full summary inside!
1. New Kid in School

**Gabriella Montez is THE most popular girl at East High...and she's only a freshmen! She has a great life...until she finds out she's failing gym! In order to pass this horrible should-be-against-the-law subject, she has to win the Annual Dance Competition that's coming up. Her partner? Troy Bolton, the new student who has a shady past and is living proof that looks are VERY decieving. Will Gabriella be able to win the competition? Will Troy Bolton be able to let go of his past? And will Troy and Gabriella ever get along or will they be enemies forever?**

**_Chapter 1 _**

"Hey, Gabriella."

"Ohmygod, Gabriella, love your shirt!"

"Hey, Gabi!"

"HI!"

"Buenos Dias, Ella!"

Gabriella Montez walked through the hallway of East High, her hips and legs jutting in a perfect strut. She didn't smile at anyone, except the lucky few and the football jocks. She ignored all the compliments and greetings. She got them everday so who cared?

Gabriella Montez was the most popular girl at school, even more popular than the cheerleaders. She was the first freshmen to do that. Her father was a big business lawyer and he got her everything she wanted. Her mother was an exquisite beauty and everyone told Gabriella she looked just like her mother: long, straight black hair, gorgeous brown almond eyes, a short petite body, and a beautiful smile. But Gabriella didn't need to know this. She knew she was fabulous. So did everyone else, even the seniors!

As Gabriella walked into her homeroom, she was greeted by more compliments and greetings. But she walked right past through them and sat in her seat. She caught a glimmer of blue out of the corner of her eye, but she ignored it. And the compliments, too...well, some of them, anyway.

"Ohmygod, Gabi, I love your hair!"

Gabriella smiled. "I know, right?"

The teacher hushed everyone as the bell rang. "Alright, everyone, settle down."

After attendence and announcements, the teacher said, "And, as some of you may have noticed, we have a new student today."

She gestured toward the seat next to Gabriella. Everyone turned to stare. Sitting in the seat was a boy with hair that was held in place with gel. He wasn't smiling. He didn't seem to know everyone was staring at him. Or maybe he did and didn't notice. But he did look at her, though. Now Gabriella knew where the blue glimmer at come from. The boy's eyes were an unsual bright blue color.

"His name is Troy Bolton," the teacher said. "And he transferred from New York City. Welcome."

No one said anything, except a few girls did raise their eyebrows when the teacher said 'New York City.'

After that, the teacher let them spend the rest of homeroom catch up on homework or talk, like she always did. Gabriella, of course, was swarmed with admirers.

"How do you get your teeth so white?"

"Is it true you have a limo?"

"I heard it was a stretch dealie."

"Oh, Gabi, I saw this model in this magazine and she looked just like you."

"No way! Gabriella's way prettier."

Gabriella ignored everyone. They weren't friends, only admireres.

Somehow, the conversation got wheeled off to what everyone was doing this weekend. Gabriella didn't notice. She looked around. Homeroom looked the same everyday. The desks were in neat, straight rows. The blackboard was in the front of the room with the teacher's desk beside it. On the walls were posters that said things like "Make an effort, not an excuse" and "School is for the cool kids. Let the losers be dumb." (Gabriella thought that one was kinda corny).

The only new thing was Troy. Unlike the rest of the class, he was staring out the window. Some boys nearby started talking about the football game, but Troy didn't join them. In fact, he didn't seem to hear them at all. But Gabriella did notice him tapping his foot.

And his outfit! Gabriella had never seen anything like it. Actually, she had, but not on a typical school day and certainly not on a typical boy! **(Sorry if that sounds sexist)**

His hair was one thing (neatly combed and slicked back) but his clothes were another. He was wearing perfectly pressed black suit pants, white and maroon lace-up bowling shoes, and his shirt was a perfectly starched white collar-shirt. On the back of his shirt, in black cursive, said 'Juilliard.'

"Juilliard," Gabriella muttered. She had heard about that place. Wasn't it some sort of famous dance school in New York?

Anyway, Troy looked like he just stepped out of a fashion magazine for young gentlemen. Well, except for the shirt, of course. Gabriella didn't know if he actually went to Juilliard, but she knew he was the type of person who probably didn't even watch football, much less play the sport.

And Gabriella knew that would be a problem.

At East High, football was huge. Sure, there were other sports like basketball (that was the second-biggest sport at the school), volleyball, cheerleading, etc. But the football guys were the most popular. East High hadn't lost a game in seventeen years and they were well onto their eighteenth.

How was this kid going to handle it? And she knew people would stare at the poor guy. Everything, from his hair right down to his bowling shoes, were...well...different.

Okay, they were weird.

And sorta gay, too. **(Sorry!)**

Even though she barely knew him, she felt bad for him. A lot.

"Hey, Gabi, are you doing anything this weekend?" someone asked.

Gabriella turned and came face to face with Tina Johnson, the biggest popular wannabe you'd ever meet.

"So are you?" she asked again with a smile.

Gabriella shook her head. "No."

"Well, then wanna come to my party on Friday?" Tina asked. She had a hopeful twinkle in her eyes. "Chris Brown is gonna perform."

"Oh, Chris Brown," Gabriella said with no impression. "I guess that's cool. But I've already met him like ten times already. So it's okay."

Tina walked away, looking and feeling dejected. For some reason, Gabriella began to stare at Troy again. But this time, his eyes weren't on the window. His eyes were on her. No expression. He just stared.

And Gabriella didn't like it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**See? There's a new twist. Instead of Troy being the popular kid, Gabriella is. And instead of Gabriella being the new i-so-don't-belong here student, Troy is! And I decided to make him a dancer. It's for my story. **

**I kinda got inspired during a Willy Wonka rehearsal at my school (I'm a techee). Anyway, the kid who plays Willy Wonka (Rick Leith) looks sorta like Zac Efron. And he keeps flirting with this girl who plays Veruca Salt (Riley something...she doesn't look anything like Vanessa). And the story came right into my head. **

**Oh, and I'm sorry if some of the chapters sound a bit sexist. **

**But I'm not sexist at all. **

**I promise. **


	2. Troy Bolton

**_Chapter 2_**

Gym.

Gabriella hated gym.

She wanted to know who started this class. She'd like to go up to that person and give him a piece of her mind!

Wasn't it against the law to force kids to do things they didn't want to do? What was it called? Child abuse?

Well, forcing her to do gym was certainly what she would call child abuse!

The only good thing about gym class was that she didn't have to wear those hideous gym uniforms. At least the principal had enough sense to ban those.

Most of the girls in her gym class wore tank tops and shorts. Some shy girls stuck with T-shirts, but Gabriella was one of the tank-topians (that's what some of the guys called the girls who wore tank tops). The guys just stuck with T-shirts or jerseys with basketball shorts.

As soon as she finished changing, Gabriella ran out of the locker rooms. She really hated them, especially the ugly gray lockers that were supposed to be white. The boys were lucky. Their lockers were bright red.

Since she was one of the first students to be out, the gym was nearly empty, except for the teachers and a few students.

One of them was Troy.

She hadn't noticed him before and now that he saw what he was wearing, she knew why. His gym outfit, a regular SYC jersey and white basketball shorts, surprised her. She was expecting something more, what was the word she had learned in English?...outlandish.

That was it...outlandish.

His hair still looked neatly combed and shiny. And he still wasn't smiling.

Gabriella wondered if he smiled when he was a baby.

Probably not.

In a few minutes, gym class had started. Since it was still a bit warm, the kids were supposed to run laps in gym class.

This was something Gabriella hated to do. She was good at running but she hated getting all sweaty. It made her feel sticky and gross.

And she knew some of the other girls felt that way, too.

But she jogged at a steady pace while some girls tried to keep their paces even with her. They kept firing her with compliments and questions.

"Your hair is so pretty, Gabriella."

"Where'd you get that tank top? It's so adorable."

"That color looks so great on you."

"It's no wonder you're more popular than the cheerleaders. You're prettier than they are."

But soon they got bored and started to lag. Gabriella sped up until she was ahead of them.

Suddenly, she felt someone whiz by. She only saw the back of the person, but she knew who it was.

Troy Bolton.

Gabriella somehow managed to keep jogging while she stared. Troy was probably the most graceful runner she had ever seen. While everyone seemed slow and tired, he seemed to fly around the field, even though he was basically going at the same pace as everyone.

And Gabriella wasn't the only one who noticed.

* * *

During that afternoon, Troy seemed to be mentioned in almost every single conversation. 

Everywhere Gabriella went, all she heard was "Troy Bolton this...Troy Bolton that..."

He certainly made quite an impression.

"Troy Bolton has such bright blue eyes," one girl said.

"I love his hair! It's so elegent but sexy at the same time," another one said.

"I think he's gay," a football jock said.

"Dude, you're just saying that because your girlfriend thinks he's cute," another one teased.

And Gabriella liked it. It was nice to have everyone's attention on someone else rather than her. And Troy seemed to doing just that

She thought Troy would be flattered by all this attention. But he seemed really irritated. He was always scowling and anytime someone said hi, he would just glare at that person and walk away in the other direction.

But this didn't seem to slow down everyone's attention. In fact, it seemed to speed it up. Soon, there were all kinds of rumors.

"I heard he was arrested twice!"

"Didn't someone say he has sex with girls for fun?"

"No. That's just the football guys."

"I just know Troy wears contacts. There is no way his eyes can really be that bright!"

"Why is he so mean, though?"

"Maybe he doesn't like people. Or maybe it's because he's an orphan. Orphans can be so..."

"...resenting?"

"Yeah."

Gabriella had to giggle. That orphan rumor was probably the most ridiculous rumor she had ever heard!

But the kids that seemed interested in Troy the most were the drama kids.

"He's so cute!"

"He looks just like Zac Efron!"

"I love his shirt. I can't believe he went to Juilliard?"

"How do _you_ know he's been to Juilliard?"

"_Hello_? Where else would he have gotten that shirt?"

"I heard he's been in twelve dancing recitals."

"I thought it was seven."

"And he played Romeo in a school play at his last school."

"Ohmygod! Whoever played Juliet is soooo lucky!"

Yep, definitely the drama kids.

But despite everyone's interest in him, nobody seemed to approach him anymore. They kept their distance and just whispered and stared.

And Troy never talked.

Until, one time...

before eighth period...

* * *

Gabriella stood outside her eighth period class...history. Their teacher was who-knows-where so all the students were mingling outside the classroom door. 

Gabriella heard a high-pitched giggle nearby. She didn't need to look to see who it was.

It was Tiffany Green...the Drama Queen of East High.

"Oh, yeah, Troy is soooo cute," she said. "And he likes me. I know he does."

Gabriella and some other onlookers rolled their eyes. If anyone thought that a new student who didn't talk to anyone liked her, it was Tiffany.

Then suddenly the giggling stopped.

"Oh, hi, Troy," Tiffany said.

Gabriella turned around. She had to see this!

"Listen, I just had a dance studio built in my basement," the Drama bitch continued. "And I'm having a party to celebrate this Saturday. Wanna come?"

For a moment, everyone was silent, including Troy.

And then...

"I can't," he said.

Gabriella was surprised by his voice. How could someone who looked so...sissy have such a deep, manly voice?

"I have better things to do," he continued.

Tiffany's jaw dropped while everyone else laughed or stared.

Gabriella filed this into her memory bank. Tiffany Green had just been rejected!

This was too good to forget!

* * *

**I know Sharpay is actually the Drama Queen. But she WILL be in the story. And she IS very good at the Fine Arts. You'll read about her later.**

**And the rest of the gang, too. **


	3. Tiffany Green: Queen of Mean

_**Chapter 3**_

It had been week since Troy had talked. Now he only talked to answer questions the teachers asked. 

And Tiffany kept trying to talk to him...and the results were quite amusing. 

Like during lunch on Tuesday... 

"Hey, Troy," Tiffany said. "Wanna sit with me? You seem kinda lonely." Troy ignored her and went on eating his sandwich. He didn't even look at her. Tiffany scowled and went back to the Drama Table. 

And then on Wedensday morning... 

"Troy," Tiffany shouted, running up to him. "You're fashion-wise, right?" 

"Sorta," Troy said. 

Gabriella, who was nearby at the time, noticed the suspicion and caution in his voice. 

"Well, what do you think of my shirt?" Tiffany asked, batting her eyelashes. 

Troy eyed it. He opened his mouth to speak. Gabriella was expecting something like "I don't/do like it." But instead, he said, "I think it makes you look retarded." Then he went inside the school, building leaving Tiffany fuming. 

After that incident, Tiffany had steered clear of him on Thursday. 

But then on Friday... 

Gabriella was taking her math books out of her locker when she heard Tiffany say, "Hey, Troy." 

Several heads turned. They saw Tiffany and Troy standing in front of the Auditions Sign-up List. It was for the play Beauty and the Beast. 

"Are you signing up to play Prince Charming?" Tiffany asked. Before Troy answered, she continued, "That's so cool. I'm signing up for Beauty. Won't be cool if we got the lead parts?" 

"No," Troy said. He walked away without signing his name. Tiffany gaped for a second before she stomped off in the other direction. 

Really, Troy could be a comedian without even trying! But Gabriella had to give it to Tiffany. That girl has determination. 

That's what Gabriella said to a group of girls during lunch. "She's really determined to make Troy her boyfriend," she said. 

"It's weird, though," a girl named Haley said. "It's, like, sooooo obvious that Troy doesn't like her at all!" 

"I guess being an actress makes you really determined to make the impossible happen," Gabriella said before sipping her milk. 

The others agreed. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Troy sat in his seat for History class. Everyone else was either passing notes or just falling asleep, but Troy wasn't doing any of those. 

He was ignoring everyone. 

This was probably the worst school he had ever been too! The kids here acted like they had never met a guy dancer before! Or a male actor. Or a male singer, either. Troy knew he was different from most guys. While most of the guys were playing football or shooting hoops, Troy spent his free time watching musicals or learning new dance steps or listening to songs. Troy kept his hair neat and out of his face so it wouldn't get in the way of dancing. He sang, he danced, he acted, he even did gymanstics for a while. And his classmates seemed to think he was some kind of curse or whatever. 

And that Tiffany girl was so annoying! She kept giggling and yakking non-stop about non-important things. 

Troy wished he was back in New York City, where he attended Juilliard and hung out with kids who didn't care that he was a guy. He wished he would've stayed, �

But noooo, his Aunt Julie had to own a school for fine arts in Alburqurque, New Mexico! Troy had went to a private middle school, Roadsville Middle School, when he had first moved to Alburqurque. He wasn't as cold then. He smiled at people and said hi a few times. But all of the kids made fun of him, especially the guys on the basketball and soccer team. And the cheerleaders scoffed at him and called him "Mama's Boy'" and called him gay. 

When Troy started East High, he was glad to find out that none of the kids from Roadsville would be attending East High. Then he made a vow that he wouldn't talk to anyone, especially the popular kids. And there was one he hated above all of them. 

Gabriella Montez. 

Troy had overheard a group of girls talking about her. And by the sound of it, Gabriella was the most popular girl in school. She got whatever she wanted, threw amazing parties, met celebrities every other week, and had her things shipped from places like Rome and Paris. And she looked fabulous 24/7 and had the football jocks trailing behind her with drool coming out of their mouths and hearts in their eyes. 

At first, Troy had thought she was pretty--long, straight black hair, gorgeous tanned skin, and long legs. Prettier than the girls at Juilliard. But after he had seen her being swarmed with admireres on his first day of school, he knew she was popular. And if she was popular, she probably wouldn't want anything to do with someone like Troy. And he had heard that she was more popular than the cheerleaders and seniors. If that was true, Gabriella would be worst to face than the cheerleaders at Roadsville. 

He had caught her staring at him a few times. But then she would either giggle, look away, or whisper to someone else. Troy knew others talked about him. And he didn't really care. Really! But something about that girl bothered him. Was it her style? Her looks? Her attitude? He had no idea.

_RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!_

Troy got out of his seat and pushed his way to the door. So was everyone else but he managed to get through. 

Unfortunately, so did Tiffany. 

"Hey, Troy," she said. 

Troy groaned and closed his eyes, thinking, _Please, please, let this be a nightmare_. 

He pinched himself. Nope, it was real. 

He opened his eyes and saw Tiffany standing right in front of him. 

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked with a small smile. 

Troy almost lied and said yes. But then his better sense took over and he shook his head. 

"Oh, wow, really?" Tiffany asked. Troy knew she was faking. "I don't have a boyfriend, either." 

"That's nice," Troy said. He tried to walk past her, but Tiffany blocked his way. 

"Well, then this is perfect," Tiffany said, walking closer...too close. 

"Um," Troy stuttered. "What do you mean?" 

Tiffany giggled her annoying giggle. "You know, we could...go out." 

She stepped closer. Just one more step and they'd be kissing. 

"So what do you say?" Tiffany said. "I mean, it's really obvious it's faith. We're totally made for each other." 

Troy would've laughed if Tiffany wasn't so close. 

"So wanna go out?" Tiffany repeated. 

A few seconds of silence but to Troy it felt like years. He didn't look around but he knew people were staring. 

Then he said... 

"Why would I want to?" 

He pushed her away and walked through the laughing and cheering hallway. Some guys patted him on the back and others called him crazy. 

But Troy didn't care. He just wanted to get away from Tiffany Green. 

As he was walking through the hallway, he saw Gabriella. 

After that, everything seemed blurry. 

All he remembered was their eyes meeting. They walked past each other, still staring. Then they both looked away. 

But Troy knew he would never forget those chocolate brown eyes...

no matter how much he hated the person who had them. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

**A few seconds of a Troyella moment. **

**hehehe. **

**R&R! Thank u! **


	4. A New Neighbor

**_Chapter 4_**

It was no December. The semester was almost over and report cards were coming out. The students were supposed to get their report cards during eighth period.

"Hey, Gabi," Haley said. "Report cards are comin' out. I'm so freaking out."

Gabriella laughed. Partly because what Haley said was funny and partly because Haley was her friend.

That's right. Ever since Troy had come to East High, Gabriella wasn't so admired anymore. So she had gotten a few friends out of that situation.

And Haley Thompson was one of them.

"I just knew I got a bad grade in math," Haley said as they walked to eighth period class together. "It's almost impossible pass that subject."

"Just like gym," Gabriella said. "_That_ subject is almost impossible to pass."

The girls laughed as they walked into the classroom. Unfortunately, Haley's seat was all the way in the back and Gabriella's was near the front.

Kids scrambled to their seats as the teacher told everyone ot hush up and SIT!

The loudspeaker came on.

_"All teachers please pass the report cards to your eighth period class students at this time. Thank you."_

Gabriella waited for the teacher to call up her name. She knew she probably got an A in science and history. She probably got an A or a B in English. Those were her best subjects. And history and math maybe a B. And she knew she got A's in her electives (Tech Tools and Woodshop).

Now for gym...

Well, it would be a miracle if she got a C.

"Gabriella Montez," the teacher called out.

Gabriella walked up to the teacher to recieve her report card. She sat down at her desk, took a deep breath, and opened the report card.

Here's what it said:

**English-A**

**Math-B **

**Science-A**

**History-A**

**Tech Tools-A**

**Woodshop-A**

Then Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief. On the bottom of the report card it said:

**Gym-C **

She had passed gym for the semester.

_Whew!_

_

* * *

_

"So how'd you do?" Janine Ericson asked as the girls walked home together. Janine was also another one of Gabriella's friends. And she lived in Gabriella's neighborhood, too.

"Not so bad," Gabriella said. "I got an A in English, History, Science, Tech Tools, and Woodshop. Then I got a B in Math."

"And what about gym?" Janine asked cautiously.

"I actually got a C," Gabriella said. "It's a miracle."

"God, our gym teachers are so mean," Janine said. "The least they could do is give you a B for being a team player. All Coach Wu cares about is how good you are."

This was true. Coach Wu never seemed to notice if you cooperated or not. All she seemed to care about was how good you were.

"It's so not fair," Janine continued. "Bolton doesn't even talk to anyone and he got an A!"

This made Gabriella's jaw dropped. "Troy Bolton, the dancer, got an A in gym class?"

Janine nodded. "I guess all that dancing and stuff gives him an athletes' ability."

"Well, I have to do is just pass through gym next semester and then I'm free." Then Gabriella quickly added, "For two months, anyway."

"And weekends," Janine added.

"And weekends," Gabriella repeated.

Soon the girls departed and Janine went one way and Gabriella went another.

"Oh, how I wish that we never had to say good-bye," Janine said dramatically.

Gabriella giggled and played along, "Shall we ever pass this way again?"

"Yeah, on Monday," Janine said. "Oh, hey, I went to the mall last week and I saw these really cool skirts. They're still on sale. Why don't you, Haley, and I go tomorrow?"

Gabriella nodded. "Okay. Tootles till tomorrow!"

"Love ya!" Janine said, blowing kisses.

The girls headed toward their houses, laughing the whole time.

They were so busy laughing that they didn't see a tall male figure walking in the third direction.

Troy Bolton also lived in their neighborhood.

* * *

**Bum-Bum-BUM!**

**Some of u guys are probably REALLY impatient for some Troyella action but just be patient. If I go too fast, this story won't be long enough. And I want this sotry to be _at least _15 chapters long!**

**So b patient.**

**Or else.**

**POLL!**

**1) Okay, so should the school of Fine Arts be called:**

**The School of Fine Arts**

**Or Johnson's School of Fine Arts (Troy's aunt's last name is Johnson)**

**2) And when Gabriella goes into the school, should she see Troy:**

**doing a sort of jazzy ballet type thing (u know, those dances with those really cool tuxedo outfits)**

**Or practicing the tango with another girl**

**And when Troy sees Gabriella watching him should he:**

**be nice or rude? **

**Oh, and 1 more thing.**

**I'm putting up the link on my profile for the Firefly video Zac was in when he was like 13 or something. check it out!**

**And the next chapter will be longer.**

**I promise.**

**Pinky swear.**

**Actually...virtual pinky swear since I can't really pinky swear.**

**And (as iCarly would do it) Ankle shake:)**


	5. Not a Nightmare

_**Chapter 5**_

"Ohmygod, Gabi, that skirt looks sooo cute on you," Janine said.

The girls were out shopping for the "cool skirts" Janine had mentioned. Gabriella had tried one on and it did look good on her.

"You should totally get it," Haley commented. She herself was carrying nine skirts in her arms. They were also the "cool skirts" in nine different colors.

"What colors are you getting?" Gabriella asked, eyeing the skirt in Haley's arms.

Haley listed them all: "Yellow, red, teal, green, lime, white, black, purple, and cream."

"Why didn't you get cherry and nuts with that?" Janine joked.

Gabriella and Haley rolled their eyes.

The girls stood in line behind a group of chattering girls who were also buying the skirts.

"Hey, that girl has eleven colors," Haley pointed out.

Sure enough. the one with the curly redhead had eleven skirts in her arm. She didn't notice Gabriella and her friends staring.

Despite the length of the line (Janine guessed about a mile or two) the girls were paying for the skirts in less than half an hour.

"Kids must be shopping in groups today," Haley said as the girls got a smoothie (milkshake for Gabriella).

While Gabriella was sipping her Chocolate Chunk (chocolate milkshake with chocolate chips in it), Janine and Haley were bickering.

"Why do you always get the Mango Mix?" Janine asked, making a face. She watched Haley sip the orange-colored smoothie. "It's a mix of mango and banana...EW!"

"It's good," Haley insisted. "And what about you? Why do you always get the Strawberry Sip?"

"Because strawberry is delicious and it's healthy. It doesn't have a disgusting mix like mango and banana."

"The Mango Mix is not disgusting."

"Which shows how much you know."

"Mango is healthy. So is banana."

"But it doesn't taste good."

'How do you know? You've never tried the Mango Mix."

"You've never tried the Strawberry Sip!"

"Yes, I have. Rememeber last year? At my cousin's birthday party? You made me drink it."

"Oh...well, still I don't know why you bother with the Mango Mix."

'HEY!" Gabriella shouted. "Why do you guys always argue about smoothies? Janine, the Strawberry Sip is tasty for you and the Mango Mix is good for you, Haley. They're both equally delicious. You guys just have different opinions and taste." Then under her breath she muttered, "But you both argue about the dumbest things."

"I guess that's true," Janine said. "Maybe that's why Haley and I--"

But she never finished her sentence. She suddenly came to a halt and her expression became blank.

"Janine?" Haley said, waving her hand in front of her friend's face. Janine slapped her hand.

"OW!" Haley said. "You slapped me."

"Ssshhh," Janine said. "Listen."

Gabriella and Haley stood perfectly silent and still. For a few seconds, they didn't hear anything. And then theyheard it: a faint Spanish tango music.

"Where's that coming from?" Haley asked.

"This way," Janine said, walking in her left direction. "Come on!"

Haley and Gabriella knew it was no use to argue.Once Janine wanted to do something, she was determined to do it. So the girls quickly followed her.

Janine was right. As they kept walking, the music got louder and louder.

Soon they found the source: a tall three-story building. Gabriella saw an open window at the top.

That was probably where the music was coming from.

"Johnson's School of Fine Arts," Haleysaid.

"What?" Gabriella said.

Janine pointed at the huge, blue neon sign above the doorway.

How had Gabriella missed that?

"Let's go check it out," Janine said.

"Are you insane?" Haley hissed. "We'd be kicked out for sure."

"Oh, come on," Janine said. "I'd rather go in there and be kicked out than not go in at all. Besides, it's hot out here and I bet it's air-conditioned inside."

Gabriella and Haley finally agreed to go. It certainly was hot outside the girls had no desire to walk all the way back home. It was too much.

The girls threw their drinks away in a trash can and went in. Their shopping bags were in their hands as they walked in.

They were hit by a blast of cool air. Compared to the hot outdoors, the inside was practically...

"Wow," Haley gasped. "Look at this place."

The girls did look around. And Gabriella and Janine were amazed, too. There was a huge desk, but that wasn't the exciting part. It was the decor that caught their eyes.

The walls were a sunny yellow color. But most of the walls were covered with portraits of flowers and people or photos of people performing.

The photo nearest to Gabriella really caught her eye. It was a photo was a beautiful woman with curly hair. She was standing in a graceful pose while holding a bouquet of flowers. Gabriella saw that she was wearing a ballet costume. It was a black and white photo so Gabriella didn't know what the colors were.

"Excuse me," a rich woman-voice said. "But who are you?"

Gabriella found herself staring at a tall, skinny woman. Her hair was curly and brown and her eyes were a deep, emerald green color.

"I'm Janine and this is Haley and Gabriella," Janine said. "We're sorry for intruding."

"Oh, it is no problem at all," the woman said. "I'm Julie Johnson."

"Hey, I've heard of you," Haley said. "You were in the 2000 Olympics. My mom watched it on TV and she said you were really good at the Cha-cha."

"Why, thank you," Julie said. "I've taken dance classes since I was little. It is nice to know they have not been wasted."

Suddenly, Gabriella gasped. She looked at the photo...Julie...photo...Julie...

"Hey, is this you?" Gabriella couldn't help asking. She pointed to the photo of the ballerina.

Julie came over, took a look at the photo, and laughed. "Yes, that was me in France. I grew up there. That was in my late 60's. I studied ballet a long time ago."

"So you teach dancers?" Haley asked.

Julie shook her head. "_Oui._ I own this place, as you can probably tell by the sign. But I'm also the head teacher of the dance classes. At this school, we also teach singing, acting, photography, filming, cooking, and of course, general art."

"General art?" Janine repeated.

"Painting, drawing, sculpting are some of them," Julie said. "When you first hear the word 'art' you tend to think of colors and white paper and paints and crayons and all those things, no?"

"Yes," Haley admitted. "Yes, I do."

Julie smiled. "That tends to happen to most people."

"May we have a look around?" Janine asked. "This place looks really interesting."

"Most of my classes are not held on Saturdays," Julie said. "And so all the rooms are locked. And I have lost the copies of the keys to those rooms. I won't have them till two weeks from now."

Janine didn't say anything. Neither did Haley. But Gabriella could tell they were disappointed.

She knew Julie could tell, too.

"But, of course, my dancing classes are not locked," Julie said, smiling. "They are on the fourth floor. Follow me." She paused before saying, "You may leave your shopping bags here, if you wish."

That's exactly what the girls did.

"I thought this building only has three floors," Gabriella blurted out.

Julie laughed. "People always forget about the basement. That's where we have the photography and film classes. Since there are no windows, the sunlight doesn't get in the way.So the limit of light is entirely in the students' hands. At least, that is what I think."

The girls followed the woman into an elevator. Julie pressed the3 button. Gabriella saw there were only four floor buttons: B, 1, 2,and3.

"This floor is entirely for my dance classes," Julie told them as they stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor. "Here, we teach all kinds of dancing: ballet, jazz, tap, western, folk, Latin (also cha-cha, tango, and salsa),and I have other teachers that teach tumbling, street dancing, and ballroom dancing. But right now, only my Latin dance class is in session.The other dance classes are on a field trip except tumbling and street which I have on Mondays."

'Tumbling isn't a dance," Janine said.

"It is to me," Julie said.

"It must be expensive to pay for all those field trips," Haley said. .

Julie smiled. "You are nice to be concerned. But my students are always up for some fund-raising and besides, you'd be surprised how much money I get from the parents who enroll their children here."

Julie opened a door at the end of the corrider and the girls immediately heard the same music they had heard outside.

Gabriella walked in to find a bunch of kids dancing with twirls and quick steps. Her eyes were immediately glued onto a couple in the middle. Gabriella couldn't see the boys' face but she could see the boy had brown hair. His partner was a pretty blonde with a serious expression on her face. Gabrielal looked down and realized the girl was dancing in high heels.

Whoa.

"They're amazing," Janine gasped. Julie smiled as she went over to the boombox and pressed the PAUSE button. The kids immediately stopped dancing. A few groaned but Gabriella was sure only she could hear them.

"Class," Julie said. "We have some visitors today."

Everyone stared. Gabriella almost rolled her eyes. They looked like robots to her.

"They had heard the music from outside," Julie said, eyeing the window. Gabriella saw some kids shift around guiltily. "They say you are an amazing class."

Gabriella looked toward the window. She didn't like all those kids staring at her.

"That's weird," a deep voice said. "I thought they didn't like dancing."

Gabriella faced forward again.

She knew that voice. It was deep and manly. Gabriella heard that voice everyday.

'Do not be silly," Julie said. "Of course, they do not hate dancers."

A tall, boy with brown hair came up to them.

Janine gasped. Haley yelped. Gabriella just stared.

Julie didn't notice any of this.

"Girls, I would like you to meet my nephew...Troy Bolton."

When Gabriella heard this, she pinched herself.

It hurt.

So...this wasn't a nightmare.


	6. Nice?

**_Chapter 6_**

Troy Bolton and Gabriella stared at each other. But while Gabriella's eyes had shock swimming in them, Troy's eyes were full of anger and...was it...triumph?

Suddenly, a petite young woman came in. She was wearing a black turtleneck with stretchy pants. She looked urgent.

"Mrs. Johnson," she said. "Come quick! Miss Kimblery had sprained her ankle and had broken her arm."

Julie quickly hurried out the door, saying, "I must attend to a student. Go on with your practicing."

As soon as she left and the door was closed, a girl made her way over to the boombox, but Troy stopped her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bitterly to Gabriella.

Gabriella's eyes started to narrow. "This is a free country, Bolton. We can come here if we want to."

"Hey, I've heard about you," a girl said. She was the blonde that Troy had danced with.

"What about it?" Gabriella asked without thinking.

The blonde raised her eyebrows before saying, "Wow, Troy, she's even meaner than I thought."

Troy just rolled his eyes. "Stay out of this, Sharpay."

"Make me," she said. Her voice was full of attitude. She turned back to Gabriella. "You're Tiffany Green, right?"

Gabriella almost laughed right there.

"Tiffany Green?" she said. "I am NOT Tiffany Green."

Janine and Haley just laughed out loud. In unison, they said, "She's Gabriella."

"Oh, right, the popular one," Sharpay said. "I'm Sharpay Evans."

"Sharpay?" Janine repeated. "As in, like, the dog?"

Sharpay seemedoffended. "For your information, my name isn't spelled like the dog's. It's spelled S-H-A-R-P-A-Y."

"Quit it, guys," Troy said. "They're just a bunch of amateurs."

Gabriella glared at him.

Amateurs?

Gabriella eyes him up and down. It was then she realized how different he looked.

At school, he was a tall, skinny boy with neat hair and clothes. Gabriella overheard some guys saying he looked like a wimp.

But now, with a black shirt and pants, he looked far from a wimp. He seemed taller and scarier. His hair was coming loose so he had a few wisps swaying in front of his eyes. And his arms looked like they had swallowed rocks!

Sharpay giggled. "Amateurs. That's a good one."

Gabriella knew she should be insulted, but when Sharpay giggled, she actually felt better. It felt kind of nice to be the one laughed at for a change.

"So what do you guys do here?" Haley said, looking around. "Just...dance?"

A few students gasped. Gabriella knew that was a bad choice of words.

"We," Sharpay hissed. "do not_ just_ dance. We act and sing, too. And we do those things because it's what we love to do. How dare you accuse us of being amateurs?"

"Sharpay!" Troy said loudly. "Shut up."

Sharpay pointed accusingly at Haley. "But, Troy, she--"

"I said SHUT UP!" Troy yelled in an extremely loud voice.

Gabriella jumped back. She knew Troy's voice was deep but how did he get so loud?

"They don't know any better," Troy said loudly. "So why don'tyou just shut your mouth?"

Sharpay pouted but she didn't say anything. No one else did, either.

It wasn't hard for Gabriella to see that Troy was in charge here...besides his aunt.

Janien huffed. "Fine. Let's go, guys."

Haley quickly followed her out the door, but Gabriella stayed put. She was still curious about something.

"Hey, B--Troy," Gabriella said, deciding she should choose her words carefully. "Why--"

Troy just grabbed her arm and led her to the door. He closed the door behind him and grabbed Gabriella firmly by the arms.

"Listen," Troy hissed. Gabriella stared at his eyes. They looked like blue fire.

_Wait till I tell the kids at school, _Gabriella thought.

Who knew Troy Bolton could be so...tough?

"Don't tell anyone at school about this," Troy hissed.

"Why?' Gabriella asked. "Why don't you--"

"Look, kids already make fun of me because I _look_ like a dancer," Troy cut in. "Do you get what I'm saying?"

"But kids already know you are a dancer," Gabriella pointed out to him.

"They're pretty sure they know I'm a dancer," Troy corrected. "They're not 100 percent sure but they're about 97 maybe 98 percent. And I wanna keep it that way. I don't want guys calling me a wimp and girls scoffing at me."

"But guys do think you're a wimp," Gabriella blurted out. Then she added, "But the girls actually think you're pretty cute."

"Okay," Troy said. "Look at it this way. What will people think when you tell them that you went to a dance studio? What will people think when you tell them that you stayed afterwards to talk to me?"

Gabriella froze.

Troy's words had hit home.

"Fine, I won't tell anyone," Gabriella promised. "Can you let go of my arms now?"

That's exactly what Troy did.

Gabriella quickly ran out of the studio and looked around for her friends.

"Some friends," she muttered to herself. They had just ran off without her!

* * *

"That was Gabriella Montez?" Sharpay asked. "Wow. She really is--" 

"Sharpay, how many times do I have to tell you to shut up?" Troy asked.

Sharpay kept her glare but she shrank back a bit.

"She seemed nice," a redhead said.

Sharpay and Troy both glared at her this time.

"Nice?" Sharpay hissed. "She and her friends practically called us amateurs."

"And you do not know what she is like at school," Troy added. "You guys are all lucky you're homeschooled."

"Ask your aunt to homeschool you," the redhead said.

"Do you not think I've tried that already?" Troy said. "It's out of the question. Aunt Julie just doesn't wanna teach me. And all those homeschooling tutors are way too expensive. Even for my aunt."

"So what are those girls like at school?" a boy dared to ask.

After moments of silence, Troy said, "Those two other girls...Haley and Janine, I think...aren't really a problem. They're really annoying and everything. So is Tiffany green."

Sharpay gave a _hmph _when she heard that name. She didn't like Tiffany trying to steal her crush.

"But they mostly do it because of Gabriella," Troy continued.

"What does she do?" Sharpay said, leaning in closer. She was always up for stories about mean people.

Plus, she liked being close to Troy.

"She doesn't really talk to me," Troy admitted. "But she's always saying stuff about me behind my back. Then she starts all these rumors. And she acts like she's all that because she's so popular."

"That's tough," Sharpay groaned. "But at least you still have me, right?"

"Sharpay," Troy said. "I'm NOT gonna go out with you." He looked at her directly in the face. "Deal with it."

Sharpay crossed her arms and slumped.

The same thing had happened for over three years now.

"So she makes fun of you because you're a dancer?" the boy asked. "Dude, that's harsh."

"Whatever," Troy said, standing up. "It's no big deal, anyway."

He went over to the boom box and pressed play. The music began again.

"Shall we re-start the dance?" Troy asked.

Kids grabbed partners while Troy grabbed Sharpay's hand and took her to the middle of the dance floor.

The kids did this for fun all the time.

They had still left the window open but they never looked out of it.

If they had poked their head out and looked down, they would've seen a lonely petite brunette standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the window with a look of longing sketched on her face.

And then they would've seen her walk home.

* * *

When Troy got home, he went into his bedroom and took out an old photo. It was the photo of him as a baby, being held between his mother and his father. 

He started to think of Gabriella. Of her laughing at him and talking about him behind his back. And yet, he didn't want to her enemy. Sure, he hated her but at the same time...

_sigh._

"She's just like Dad all over again," Troy whispered to himself.

Then he shoved the photo away and went to sleep.

* * *

**Now what did Troy mean by that?**

**u'll find out later.**

**Okay, 1st of all, Gabriella's not the one starting the rumors. Troy just thinks she is. **

**And i decided to make Sharpay semi-evil in this story(she's gonna team up with Tiffany one day)****. The other kids are gonna show up soon. Don't worry. I won't leave out anybody.**

**I'll squeeze them in somehow. **


	7. Dance Partners

**_Chapter 7_**

Gym got more and more gruesome.

The second semester included basketball, indoor-soccer, volleyball, and indoor-track. Gabriella tried her best, she really did! But it was never good enough. Not only did everyone else seem to do better than her but Coach Wu was either staring at her disapprovingly or shaking her head and writing down furiously on her clipboard. Gabriella had a bad feeling that Coach Wu was marking her down.

And then there was Troy. Gabriella had hoped that the dancer would be bad at gym as she was, but her hopes were soon gone. It looked like Troy had previous experiences with basketball and soccer. And of course, everyone knew he was wonderful at track. And even though he wasn't a pro volleyball player, he was quick and actually managed to get the ball over the net.

Gabriella felt discouraged. Even Janine and Haley were better than her at gym.

Now it was March and the weather got warmer. So the gym classes were switched to outdoor sports: more soccer and track, but also football and tennis. Tennis wasn't so bad. Gabriella knew how to play tennis. But the other sports were a fiasco for Gabriella.

In football, she lost hold of the ball or couldn't throw it properly. In soccer, she always got fowls. And track was tiring Her legs got sore, her head got sweaty, and her throat felt dry.

The ending was close and Gabriella didn't want to fail gym. She hoped that Coach Wu would be nice enough to at least giver her a C in gym again. Maybe if she worked really hard and showed her effort, Coach Wu would be nice enough to give her a passing grade.

One day during gym class, Gabriella was on the roll. Her team was playing football against another team, and for the first time, Gabriella actually thought shewould make a goal.

Just a few feet more...

TOUCHDOWN!

"Yeah!"

"Go, Montez!"

Gabriella looked over at Coach Wu.

She was smiling.

Maybe Gabriella had a chance of passing this class.

She didn't find out how wrong she was until she came out of the locker room...

"Montez," Coach Wu said, approaching Gabriella.

Usually Gabriella would've panicked when she heard Coach Wu calling her name, but after scoring that touchdown, she felt elated.

That is, until Coach Wu dropped the BAD NEWS BOMB!

"Hate to break it to ya, Montez," Coach Wu said grimly. "But you're, uh, failing gym class."

Those worse hit Gabriella like ice.

_Failing gym class...I'm failing gym class..._

"Now I was nice enough to give you a C last semester," Coach Wu continued. "But I can't do that this semester. I know you're trying hard and everything but your marks aren't so good."

Gabriella's mouth felt dry.

She didn't wanna fail gym this year. She _couldn't _fail gym this year. Her father would be furious. He was already disappointed with the C from last semester. If she got an F...

"Well, is there any way I can raise my grade up?" Gabriella asked. "Maybe some extra credit or..."

"I don't do extra credit, Montez," Coach Wu said firmly. "You know that."

Indeed, Gabriella did know that. But--

"But I can't fail gym!" she said. "I just can't. My parents will kill me!"

She thought she saw a flicker of sympathy in Coach Wu's eyes, but she was sure she had mistaken it.

Coach Wu hesitated. "Well...alright, Montez. I'm not promising you anything but I'll try to find a way for you to raise your grade up. I'll let you know if I come up with anything. How about that?"

Gabriella's heart was filled with gratefulness.

"Thank you!" Gabriella exclaimed.

She ran out of the gym as the bell rang. She nearly collided with a few people.

"Sorry!" she called out as she ran toward her next class.

She crossed her fingers as she sat down in her seat.

_Please let Coach Wu find something...please, please, please, please, PLEASE! _

Coach Wu sat her computer. She was frustrated and discouraged.

First of all, she had just given the bad news to Gabriella. It was bad news for Coach Wu also. She had never had to fail a student for fifteen years and she wanted to keep it that way until her retirement.

And second of all, she couldn't find anything to help Gabriella raise her grade up.

Coach Wu didn't do extra credit. She knew it wouldn't be fair to the other students. And she didn't have time for Remedial Gym.

She looked through the student records, hoping to find something that would help.

She checked her B's. Most of them were girls. A few were boys:

**Henry Beckems...Jay Bets...Gregory Biers...Kevin Bian...Troy Bolton...**

Coach doubled back.

_Troy Bolton: attended Juilliard...won the Big Apple Dance Bash Competition...straight A's and B's in gym..._

Interesting.

Coach delved further. Troy's legal guardian was Julie Johnson, owner of the Johnson's School of Fine Arts. 

_Fine Arts._

Then Coach remembered that the school board would be sponsoring the upcoming Annual Dance Competition in April.

The winners got a $100,000 college scholarships (each) and...

...extra credit.

Coach Wu didn't give extra credit but if the school board did, she couldn't argue with that.

The plan started to form in her head. Troy was a fine dancer and if Gabriella partnered up with him...

Coach Wu smiled.

Maybe she wouldn't have to fail Gabriella after all.

But first...she decided to see Troy dance for herself.

* * *

Troy and his "dance"-mates were fooling around in�dance class, throwing down outrageous dance moves with spins and kicks and twists. It was Tuesday and usually there were no dance classes on Tuesdays but Troy's aunt always let them dance in her studios. 

Troy held out his hand to Sharpay, who took it eagerly. A girl turned on the boombox to a a jitterbug song.

The steps came easily to both of them, even Sharpay who was wearing heels today, too.

_How does she dance in them? _Troy wondered. He was too afraid to ask.

They were so engrossed in the dancing and the other kids were so engrossed in watching them that they didn't notice Julie and another woman come into the room.

When Troy and Sharpay were done, both women clapped.

Everyone turned to stare. Some said hi to their instructor but no one knew who the other woman was.

No one but Troy.

"Coach Wu?" he said out loud.

Sharpay look at him. "You know her?"

"She's my gym teacher," Troy said. He turned to the woman. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't mean to sound rude but the fact that his gym teacher had come to the dance school and had seen him dance was a bit of a nasty shock for him.

Coach Wu didn't seem to notice the rudeness. "That was brilliant."

"Ms. Wu would like to talk to you in private, Troy," Julie said. "Perhaps you should go outside. I'll keep the class busy."

Troy knew he had no choice but to follow his gym teacher.

As soon as the door closed, Coach Wu started to speak. 

"That was some dancing back there, Bolton," she said.

Troy wasn't flattered. "I've been dancing since I was four."

"And it shows," Coach Wu said. "Say you haven't got a partner for the Annual Dance Competition, do you?"

Troy slowly shook his head. Where was this going?

Coach Wu smiled. "Good. That's good."

"What's so good about it?" Troy asked.

"You know Montez, right?" Coach Wu said.

This time, Troy nodded but it was slow nod.

Coach Wu's smile became bigger. "Great. You can be her partner."

Those words hit Troy like ice. 

Troy dance in the Annual Dance Competition with _Gabriella Montez? _

No, NOT POSSIBLE! 

"But-but I don't wanna dance with Montez," Troy said angrily. "And you can't make me."

Coach Wu frowned and said, "Oh, alright. I guess I know a lost battle when I see one."

She left with a look of disappointment on her face...

Okay, that's what Troy wanted to happen.

This was what _really _happened:

"Bolton, you alright?" Coach Wu asked.

Troy wanted to say no. Really, he did but...

"Sure, I'll do it," he said. "I'll be her partner."

_Damn! I must be insane! _Troy said mentally. _Dance with Montez? Troy, are you crazy?_

Coach Wu beamed. "Great! I'll tell Montez tomorrow...or do you want to?

"No, that's okay," Troy found himself saying. "You tell her the good news."

_Good news? How is this good news, Bolton? You're gonna dance with your enemy in one of the biggest annual competitions in the state and you call this GOOD NEWS?_

Troy watched Coach Wu leave, a mix of satisfaction, triumph, and happiness on her face.

After about five minutes, Troy opened the door. A tumble of kids fell.

"What the--"

"I'm sorry," Julie said. "The kids couldn't be distracted. I tried..."

"It's okay," Troy said to his aunt. 

"So what did Coach Wu wanna talk to you about?" Sharpay asked.

"The Annual Dance Competition," Troy answered.

Sharpay brightened. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you. I'm looking for a partner for the competition and--"

"I can't be your partner," Troy said. "I've already got one."

To be honest, saying this wasn't much of a blow for Troy.

But it was for Sharpay.

"Who?" Sharpay shrieked, her voice filled with rage and confusion.

"Someone," Troy answered.

He didn't want to tell people about Gabriella Montez being his partner. 

At least not yet.

Besides,�who knew what Sharpay would do?

* * *

**Ha! Sharpay's jealous.**

**had�2 put�that in there. �**


	8. Sorry for Herself

**_Chapter 8_**

"Montez!" Gabriella heard someone call out. She turned around to find Coach Wu walking up to her. She had a big smile on her face.

"Good news," Coach Wu said. "I found a way you can raise your gym grade up."

Gabriella's mood lifted. "Really! Great!"

"All you have to do is win the Annual Dance Competition,"Coach Wu said.

Gabriella's mood went down. The Annual Dance Competition was a partner-recquired competition. "But...I don't have a partner."

"I found you one," the gym teacher told her with a big smile. "I'll let you use my gym as practice if you want. You'll meet your partner after school."

For the rest of the day, Gabriella wondered who her partner was. Hopefully someone who was good-looking. She didn't wanna be stuck with a dork or anything. But the guy was obviously a good dancer or Coach Wu wouldn't have chosen him.

"Hey, Troy," she heard Tiffany's shrill voice say. "I'm thinking of entering the Annual Dance Competition. But I need a partner."

Troy started to walk away, but Tiffany stopped him. "So I was wondering if you wanna be--"

"Can't," Troy said. "Already got a partner. See ya."

Gabriella almost laughed out loud. Tiffany looked just like Sharpay when she was angry.

"I feel bad for the girl who ends up as his partner," Gabriella said to herself.

Of, course, she had no idea that she was feeling sorry for herself. 

* * *

Troy got to the gym as quickly as possible. Coach Wu said he and Gabriella could use the gym to practice after school.

"What's taking her so long?" he asked as he glanced at the clock. Five minutes had passed already.

_Might as well warm up, _he thought. He took out a CD he brought and popped it into the boombox Coach Wu had taken out. 

He pressed play and went to Track 5:_The Voice_

**I hear your voice on the wind **

**And I hear you call out my name **

**"Listen, my child," you say to me **

**"I am the voice of your history **

**Be not afraid, come follow me **

**Answer my call, and I'll set you free" **

**I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain **

**I am the voice of your hunger and pain **

**I am the voice that always is calling you **

**I am the voice, I will remain **

**I am the voice in the fields when the summer's gone **

**The dance of the leaves when the autumn winds blow **

**Ne'er do I sleep thoughout all the cold winter long **

**I am the force that in springtime will grow **

**I am the voice of the past that will always be **

**Filled with my sorrow and blood in my fields **

**I am the voice of the future, bring me your peace **

**Bring me your peace, and my wounds, they will heal **

**I am the voice in the wind and the pouring rain **

**I am the voice of your hunger and pain **

**I am the voice that always is calling you **

**I am the voice **

**I am the voice of the past that will always be **

**I am the voice of your hunger and pain **

**I am the voice of the future **

**I am the voice, I am the voice **

**I am the voice, I am the voice **

This was the first song Troy had learned to dance to. He knew this song was a bit more the girls' dancing team, but he liked dancing to it...in private.

* * *

As Gabriella made her way to the gym, she heard a distant sound of a song playing.

She knew the song was _The Voice _sang by Celtic Woman. 

She peeked through the door. She saw a boy, dancing with twirls and leaps and steps.

"Wow," Gabriella said softly. She felt her heart soar. Her partner was GOOD! There was no way she could lose the Annual Dance Competition next month!

The boy stopped dancing and turned off the boombox. He looked up at the clock and sighed. "Where are you, Montez?" he asked himself.

_How does he know my name? _she asked herself. Then suddenly, a single beam of light hit upon him. Gabriella could see his eyes.

Blue

Bright blue.

Gabriella gasped. Surely, her partner wasn't...

"Bolton?" she said, walking into the gym. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," he said. "Are you ready to practice?"

Those words hit Gabriella cold. "Practice? What are you talking about?"

"Uh, hello? I'm your dance partner," he said. "Didn't you Coach Wu tell you."

Gabriella's jaw dropped. She had to dance with _Bolton._

She remembered what she had said to herself earlier that day: "I feel bad for the girl who ends up as his partner."

_Correction: I feel bad for myself, _Gabriella corrected mentally. _Ugh! Why?_

"Apparently not," Troy answered his own question. 

"Why did she pick you?" Gabriella asked. "You out of all the good dancers out there! Why you?"

Troy shrugged. "She came down to my aunt's school and saw me dancing."

Gabriella wanted to scream at him, hit him, injure him, make his day hell. But deep down, she knew why Coach Wu chose him out of all the others. He was obviously the best dancer...thatCoach Wuknew.

"Hey," Troy said. "I'm just doing this so you won't have to fail gym."

"Well, you don't have to do it!" Gabriella exclaimed.

"Exactly," Troy shot back. "So Ican march up to Coach Wu tomorrow and tell her you're absolutely impossible to work with. Then you'll fail gym for the semester...and the year. So you'll have to retake it during the summertime."

Gabriella was silent.

"And I'm sure you don't want that to happen," Troy said with a smirk.

Gabriella resisted the urge to wipe that smirk off her face. 

"So, you're choice," Troy continued. "Either treat me with respect or no competition."

Gabriella took a deep breath. It was a lose-lose situation anyway. "Fine. I'll be nice." 

Troy grabbed her hand. Gabriella thought this was odd. Didn't people usually shake hands with opposite hands?

Then Troy pulled her toward him. 

"You know you're clumsy, right?" he said.

Gabriella just stared. She was too nervous to nod. 

Troy smiled. "You're tense, too. Loosen up." 

Gabriella let go of all her muscles. But when Troy placed a hand on her waist, she almost suffocated.

Gabriella didn't understand what was going on. Why was she feeling like she didn't wanna mess up? She felt like she actually wanted to impress Troy.

Then, without warning, Troy dipped her and brought her back up.

Gabriella hissed, "What was that for?"

"You seemed sorta tense," Troy said. "Had to loosen you up. That always works withSharpay. Fun, wasn't it?"

Okay, she couldn't help it. She smiled.

"See, nothing to be scared of," Troy said. He smiled back. 

Gabriella felt herself blushing.

What the--

"You know, your brown eyes are just like Sharpay's," Troy said randomly.

Gabriella didn't know what to say to this. So she decided "thanks" would be the best idea.

But before she could say anything, Troy added, "But yours are prettier."

"Thanks," Gabriella said. Did Troy really just say her eyes were _prettier _than Sharpay's?

For half an hour, Troy and Gabriella interacted with each other. Troy even taught her a few simple salsa steps. All too soon, it was time to leave.

"We'll come here again after school," Troy said. "My aunt says I don't have to come to dancing classes until the competition is over."

As Gabriella watched Troy leave, she started to notice his smile. Like _really _notice it.

But Gabriella stopped herself. 

She couldn't be falling for Troy...

could she?

* * *

**i finally made gabi fall for troy. don't worry. it'll be troy's turn, soon.**

**the next chapter is gonna introduce tyler or zeke. or maybe both. or maybe neither. i'm not quite sure (sorry)**

**and there's also a link in my profile to the video of 'The Voice.' it's a really good song. **


	9. Does She?

_**Chapter 9**_

Gabriella was running to her math class. For some reason, she wanted to get there early...

BAM!

Gabriella collided with someone running in the opposite direction.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, it was my fault," the person said.

Gabriella took a good look at the person she had bumped into. It was a girl with dark skin. She was wearing a pleated skirt with a jacket and a plain T-shirt. A big red headband had settled into her black hair.

"I'm so sorry," the girl said. She helped Gabriella up.

"It's okay," Gabriella. "I've never seen you before."

"Well, that's to be expected," the girl said. "You're the most popular girl in school. I'm just Taylor McKessie."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you," Gabriella said. "Well, I have to go to math class so..."

"Yeah, I'll see you around," Taylor said, heading in the other direction.

* * *

Troy, for the first time, wasn't paying attention in class. He was busy sketching dance steps into his notebook. But he used his acting skills to look alert and interested so he could fool the teacher into thinking he was taking notes.

And, just as he expected, it was working.

Ever since their first dance practice yesterday, Troy realized that Gabriella wasn't such a bad person. First of all her eyes were...well...

_gorgeous. _For the first time, Troy fully agreed with everyone that Gabriella was definitely the prettiest girl in school.

Why did he think that?

He had noooo idea.

No one at his dance school had any idea that Gabriella Montez was his dance partner. If they found out...if _Sharpay _found out...things could get real ugly. And if Sharpay found out that he thought Gabriella's eyes were prettier...well, the claws would not be too far from his face.

Troy wondered what it was like to date Gabriella. She was after all the most popular girl in school. Would all the guys hate him or congragulate him? Would girls envy her to tell her she was crazy? Would Gabriella even have time to date him? She was always swarmed with so many admirers.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt something drop onto his lap. He looked down and saw a folded piece of paper. A note...from Gerty Hanson, who sat right behind Troy.

He looked up. The teacher seemed to be busy, so he opened it up. It read:

_Heard your Montez's partner for a danse competition_

Troy rolled his eyes. It was just like Gerty to spell a word like dance wrong.

_Get her digits for me. I'll pay you 20 dollers._

Troy rolled his eyes again, but not because 'dollars' was mispelled. It was because he should've known about this.

Gerty Hanson was the most popular boy in school. He was the football star quarterback for the East High Wildcats. All the girls loved him and all the guys wanted to be him. Making him angry was basically committing suicide.

And Troy knew Gerty liked Gabriella.

It would be just like him to want Gabriella's phone number.

Typical Gerty.

Troy slipped the note into his pants' pocket and shook his head. He continued to sketch more dance steps.

But he couldn't help thinking...

_Does Gabriella like him back?_

Troy walked into the gym was actually surprised Gabriella was there.

"You're here!" he blurted out. He glanced at the clock and added, "You're early!"

"And you're here, too," Gabriella said. "Come on. Let's dance!"

Before Troy knew it, he and Gabriella were practicing mroe dance steps. Troy found himself getting lost into her chocolate-brown eyes. And most of the time, he was just inches away from her face. He started wondering what it would be like to kiss her.

Everything flew right out of Troy's head. All he wanted to do was dance and stare at the great beauty in front of him.

"You're getting better," Troy said honestly. "And its only the second day!"

Gabriella beamed. "I've been practicing."

Troy couldn't believe he had never noticed how cute her smile was. How could he have missed that dimple on her right cheek?

All too soon, time was up.

"Hey, let's make the dance practices longer," Troy suggested. "It sorta feels like we have no time at all...don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," Gabriella said.

Troy's heart beat up faster. She agreed with him! This had to be a good sign.

"We'll discuss the time tomorrow," Troy said, picking up his bookbag.

He was almost out the door when he remembered...

"Hey, Gabriella," Troy said. "I need your cell number?"

"Why?" she asked. She was staring right at Troy.

Was it his imagination or did she actually look...hopeful?

"It's for Gerty," Troy answered. "I think he wants to ask you out."

This time, Troy knew he saw Gabriella's eyes flicker with disappointment.

"Oh," she said. "I thought..."

_You thought the boy you liked wanted your cell digits, _Troy finished the sentence mentally. _I wonder who she likes._

"But you know, if you tell me who you like, I could also give him your phone number," Troy offered. "All you have to do is tell me who it is. I swear. I won't tell anyone."

Gabriella shook her head. "If I tell you, he'll know I like him."

"No, he won't," Troy insisted. "I'll come up with a story."

"It's not that," Gabriella said. "Its...complicated."

Troy was a bit annoyed that she didn't trust him yet.

_Oh well, she'll come through._

"Well, you better hurry," Gabriella said. "I'm sure your parents are waiting for you."

Troy didn't know whether to laugh or kick her for saying that.

"Yeah..."

"See ya tomorrow, Troy," Gabriella said, walking away.

Troy kept his eyes on her. He didn't wanna take them off of her...not until he had to.

And he knew he had to when Gabriella turned the corner and disappeared outta sight.


	10. Piece of Cake

**SOOOOOOOOOO sorry I havent been updating in a while. OH! **

**_Some of you guys may have already read books by Lisa Yee. I'm posting them up here because i just found out that not many people have read the books. Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong flunks Big-time; and So Totally Emily Ebers. And I'm planning to write an original story that sort of sums all of them up I'm putting it under High School Musical because the idea came up to me while I was watching that movie. _****_For those of you haven't read the Lisa Yee books should read Sheer Genius!_**

* * *

**_Chapter 10_**

Sharpay groaned in frustration. She had just called Troy on his cell and he wasn't picking up!

Dance classes were a total bore now. Now that Troy was gone (temporarily), Sharpay was stuck with dancing with other guys. Unlike Troy, they were ugly and clumsy. And Troy was over at East High and being hogged by that Gabriella person!

And the blonde didn't like it one bit.

Who had known Troy longer? She had! Who had always appreciated what Troy did? She had! Who had always been there for him when he was angry?

SHE HAD!

And now this Gabriella comes along and steals Troy!

"UGH!"

Sharpay knew it was only until after the competition, but that was weeks away! Sharpay was very impatient, especially when she was waiting for something she wanted.

Just then a light bulb flicked on in her head.

If Troy couldn't come to her...maybe she should come to him!

The plan started to from in her brain.

* * *

Gabriella opened her locker. To her surprise, there was something in there.

A small box.

With a bow.

Confused, she opened it and gasped.

Inside were a pair of gorgeous sapphire earrings studs. **(pic in profile).**

"You like 'em?" a familiar voice asked.

Gabriella turned around to see another pair of sapphires staring right back at her.

Oh, wait, they were eyes.

"Yeah," she said.

Troy smiled. "Good. I was at the mall last night and I saw these. I thought you could maybe wear them at the dance competition. Since these are studs, you're allowed to wear them."

Smiling, Gabriella put them on and admired them in the mirror.

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched, "Hi, Troy!"

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. She had heard that voice before.

But where?

"Sharpay?" Troy said.

The blonde giggled. "Isn't this great? Your aunt made it happened. I'm visiting your school today."

Gabriella looked at Troy and saw an expression of utmost horror.

But Sharpay, on the other hand...

"I knew you'd be surprised," Sharpay said, grabbing his hand. "Isn't it great?"

Before Troy could answer, the bell rang.

"Oh, there's the bell," he said. He snatched his hand out of Sharpay's. "See ya later."

Then he ran off.

But not before grabbing Gabriella's hand.

* * *

When Sharpay came home, she screamed.

Today had not gone well! Not only was she humuliated in front of the entire school but now she was sure Troy didn't like her anymore. He was too busy paying attention to Gabriella. And when they were alone, Gabriella was all he could about.

_"Gabriella is the most popular girl in school. Did you know that?"_

_"She's getting really better. And her gym grades are coming up."_

_"Dance classes are fun but they're nowhere nearly as fun as the dancing lessons I have with Brie."_

Brie! That nickname made Sharpay sick. Troy had a nickname for the bitch? He hadn't even considered giving _Sharpay _a nickname.

It wasn't fair.

Mrs. Evans Bolton. Mrs. Sharpay Bolton. Sharpay and Troy. Mrs. Sharpay Evans Bolton.

They all made sense.

But Gabriella Bolton? Ew! It soooo didn't sound good. It was wrong. Troy belonged with Sharpay!

What did he see in that ugly brunette anyway?

Sharpay remembered asking Troy that question during lunch. His responded with a look of confusion and a looooooooooooong list.

_"What do you mean ugly? She's gorgeous! Have you seen her eyes? Well, of course, you wouldn't understand, cuz you're a girl. And she's really smart, too. Not in a nerdy way but in a good way. And did I mention she was more popular than the cheerleaders?"_

Sharpay wanted to scream again.

So she did.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Eyes...smart...more popular than the cheerleaders!

What did they matter? So what if Gabriella was popular? So what if she was smart? So what about her brown eyes? Sharpay had brown eyes, too!

When she had mentioned that, Troy had answered, _"Yeah, but they're not as pretty as Gabriella's...no offense."_

Sharpay picked up a photo of Troy and shouted, "NO OFFENSE? NO OFFENSE! HOW COULD YOU TELL ME HER EYES ARE PRETTIER THAN MINE? I THOUGHT YOU WERE SMARTER!"

She threw the picture onto her bed, but she didn't smash it.

No.

Troy was going to get a second chance.

And Sharpay was going to get her revenge on a "pretty" brunette.

Her life was sooooooooooooooooooo in turmoil.

But soon Gabriella's life would be, too.

First step: Get enrolled into East High.

Piece of cake!

* * *

**Looks like Sharpay's up to something evil. I was thinking of making her nice but i decided not to. It's too hard. **

**Hope you liked it. Sorry if it was suckish.**

* * *


	11. The Good News and the Bad News

**_Chapter 11_**

"Yeah! Great! Thanks."

That was Troy on the phone with his aunt. He was over at Gabriella's house, using her phone to tell his aunt he was practicing at Gabriella's house. Now he had amazing news to tell her!

"Brie! Brie!" Troy exclaimed, running over to the living room.

Gabriella jumped. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Troy told her. "I just got off the phone with my aunt. And I've got awesome news!"

Gabriella asked, "Well...what is it?"

"You know how we can't compete in all the dances at the competition, right?" Troy said. "That's why we chose to do the cha-cha."

She nodded.

"Well, my aunt's dance students are also entering the competition. Well, some of them anyway. And she asked us to be part of her team!"

It took a few seconds for the news to sink in, but when it did, Gabriella squealed. "You mean we're part of a real dance team!"

"Yeah, from Johnson's School of Fine Arts!" Troy exclaimed.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Gabriella screamed (Troy had to cover his ears).

Then before they could stop themselves, their arms were around each other in a tight hug.

"Remind me to thank your aunt later," Gabriella said.

They pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes, their arms still around each other.

They didn't realize the position they were in until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get the door," Gabriella said awkwardly.

Troy just stood there. For some reason, he wanted to hug her again.

Gabriella opened the door to find Haley on the doorstep.

"Haley, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I just wanted to come over," Haleya answered. "Hope I'm not bothering you."

"Who's that?" Troy asked, coming out into the front hallway. He stopped when he saw Haley.

Haley's jaw dropped. "Troy is over at your house?"

"We're practicing for the dance competition," Gabriella told her quickly.

"Oh, right," Haley said. But something told her they were doing more than just "dancing."

"You can come in, though," Gabriella said, stepping aside.

Haley walked boldly into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Why'd you come?" Gabriella asked. Troy was wondering the same thing.

After a few seconds, Haley asked, "Are you guys really gonna be in teh Annual Dance Competition?"

Troy and Gabriella nodded.

Haley didn't seem thrilled by the news, though. She just closed her eyes and shook her head.

Then she said, "You guys better watch it."

"For what?" Troy demanded.

Haley only said three word: "Tiffany and Sharpay."

"What?" Gabriella asked. "Are they trying to sabotage our chance of winning or something."

"No," Haley answered. She turned to Gabriella. "Tiffany is trying to sabotage your chances of competiting, Gabi."

"I was at the mall today," she continued. "I overheard Tiffany telling her friends that it was an outrage that Troy was dancing you and not her. She says she is a much better dancer and that Troy will have a much better chance of winning. She's planning to all these things to injure you so you can't compete."

Troy narrowed his eyes. "What about Sharpay?"

"Well, first of all, she is transferring to East High," Haley said.

"WHAT?!" Troy shouted.

Haley jumped but Gabriella was used to his outbursts by now.

"Are you serious?" Troy shouted.

Haley nodded. "I swear I'm not lying. She seemed really happy about it. But she's also really mad that she has to dance with this clumsy kid while Gabriella gets you, Troy. And Sharpay and Tiffany met and started to argue about you."

Troy rolled his eyes. Typical.

"And then they decided to team up against you, Gabi," Haley said, turning to her best friend. "Be careful, guys. I'm serious. I think Tiffany meant business. And I think Sharpay does, too."

She left after that but her words were still in the air.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Troy finally shouted. "They're both such idiots!"

"Troy, calm down," Gabriella said. "It's not like they're gonna try and kill me. What's the worst that could happen?"

Troy wanted to answer. He really did. But he couldn't.

An incident that happened three years ago kept running through his mind...

_"Sharpay?" Troy asked. "Where's Lily? She and I are up next?"_

_"Change of plans," Sharpay said. "Lily's sick or something and she went back to her dorm room. Anyway, I'm filling in for her."_

_"But she was fine a few minutes ago," Troy said. "What happened."_

_"There were nuts in her salad," Sharpay answered. "Apparently, she's allergic."_

_Troy had no choice but to dance with Sharpay in the performance. Afterward, he went to check on Lily in the dorm room. He went to the kitchen and asked why they put nuts in their salad when Lily probably told them she was allergic. They had assured him that they didn't put any nuts in their salad. In fact, someone had stolen some about an hour ago._

_Before he went back to his dorm room, he could hear Sharpay saying, "It totally worked. I danced with Troy!"_

_After that, he always made sure to pick Sharpay as his partner..._

Troy didn't want to scare Gabriella so just sat there on the couch like a frozen statue.

Gabriella snapped her fingers in front of his face, saying, "Hello?"

"Sorry," Troy said. "It's just that I don't wanna dance with Sharpay. She's been my partner ever for three whole years now. And Tiffany's probably now better. And you really need that extra credit."

"Well, it's not like Sharpay's gonna try and kill me or anything," Gabriella assured him.

Oh...

She had no idea how close she was.

* * *

**Ok, just to let y'all know, this I adapted from How i survived middle school by Nancy Krulik. I changed the characters names into kids that I know. And I will be posting the originals but I will be writing my own ones in between. **


	12. Down, Down, Down She Goes!

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: IF YOU LIKE NANCY KRULIK THAN YOU SHOULD READ MY VERSION OF 'CAN YOU GET AN F IN LUNCH?' I ONLY CHANGED A FEW THINGS AROUND BUT R&R!**

* * *

**_Chapter 12_**

Sharpay checked her outfit again for the billionth time. She was sure it was perfect, but still, you never know.

Wait till Troy sees me in this, she thought with a smile. There's no way that Montez girl would be able to compete.

She put on some berry lip gloss and smiled at the mirror. She was ready.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Janine said the next morning before homeroom. "You and Troy had been friends for...how long?"

Gabriella shrugged. "Maybe a month...and a half."

"And you're still not going out?" Haley asked her.

"Janine!" Gabriella exclaimed. "Why would I wanna go out with Troy?"

"You guys just seem so perfect for each other," Janine said. "And Haley told me guys probably hugged. That's usually the first step to a relationship."

"How does SHE know we hugged?" Gabriella demanded.

"So you did?!" Janine exclaimed.

"Troy is not my boyfriend," Gabriella insisted.

Janine shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You like him. I can tell."

"Hey, Brie."

Janine grinned. "And speaking of lover boy..."

Gabriella ignored her and smiled at Troy. "Hey, Troy."

"You okay?" Troy said. "Tiffany didn't try anything yet."

"What about her?" Janine asked.

"Nope," Gabriella answered, ignoring Janine's question. "Is Sharpay here yet?"

"Noo, thank god," Troy said.

"What about Sharpay?" Janine asked.

Again, she was ignored.

"I still can't believe this," Troy. "Sharpay's bad enough but Sharpay and Tiffany"

"What about them?" Janine asked.

Suddenly, there was a loud, "Hi, everyone!"

Everyone turned toward the doorway and saw a blonde in a pink and sparkly outfit walk into the classroom.

"Hey, Troy," Sharpay said, grinning. "I liked East High so much I decided to enroll. Isn't it a dream come true?"

"Looks like a nightmare to me," Janine muttered. A few kids giggled.

Sharpay shot an icy glared at Janine but she just smirked.

Sharpay smiled sweetly at Gabriella. "Hey, Gabriella. I heard you're gonna dance with my dance team. That's so cool."

After that, everything seemed to happen in a blur for Gabriella. All she could remember was a hand pushing her legs off the desk she was sitting on. She tipped over sideways and was about to fall when a strong pair of arms caught her just in time.

"Ohmygod, Gabi, are you okay?"

That was Janine's voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gabriella answered. She smiled at Troy.

But Troy didn't see her smile. He was too busy glaring at Sharpay.

The bell rang too early for him to do anything drastic but Gabriella noticed that her body seemed a bit cold when Troy removed his arms.

Janine noticed Gabriella shivering.

And Sharpay noticed that Troy was smiling at that brunette!

* * *

Sharpay tried again and again to hurt Gabriella but Troy always seemed to be there to stop it.

There was that one time when Gabriella was walking by Sharpay's lunch table. The blonde stuck her foot out and Gabriella was about to trip over. But Troy caught her and glared at Sharpay.

There was that other time when Sharpay had tried to close Gabriella's locker door on Gabriella's hand. But the brunette had took her hand out just in time. She just smiled at Gabriella and skipped away.

Then Tiffany came in.

The thing about Tiffany was that she knew Gabriella a lot better than Sharpay. And she knew the school better.

Her ideas were far more violent.

First she started simple. She pushed Gabriella into the bathroom but Taylor McKessie, who was coming out of the bathroom, had caught her.

Then there was gym time. Tiffany had thrown the ball at Gabriella and it almost hit her in the face. But TROY ahd intercepted it.

Troy was getting more and more irritated with Sharpay and Tiffany. Not only were they trying to hurt Gabriella but he kept finding notes in his locker saying why Gabriella shouldn't be his dance partner.

But Troy was patient. He knew Gabriella would hate it if he stooped to their level. So he was quiet throughout the day while Tiffany and Sharpay tried more and moer to injure Gabriella somehow.

But eighth period was the last straw...

* * *

Troy was heading toward history. He had a feeling something was gonna happen to Gabriella before eighth period and he wanted to get their fast so he could prevent it.

But he stopped when he saw Gabriella at the top of the stairs. Good, they could walk together.

But then he saw someone come up behind Gabriella.

Who was that?

Suddenly, Gabriella tipped forward. It took only a second for Troy to realize what was gonna happpen.

But it was second too late.

Gabriella fell down the stairs and landed at the bottom. Everyone gasped and gathered around her.

Troy looked up and saw Tiffany smiling at the top of the stairs.

That was too much for him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLE?" he shouted. The hallway went quiet.

Tiffany shrugged. "It was an accident."

Troy looked down at Gabriella, who was laying still on the floor. Troy picked her up and sat her up.

"Gabriella?" he whispered.

She seemed to be sleeping.

Anger filled every cell in Troy's body. Was Tiffany really THAT desperate to dance with Troy? He knew Sharpay wasn't behind the staircase incident. Sharpay never did anything like that.

He ran up the stairs and stood in front of Tiffany.

"Are you really that desperate?" Troy demanded.

Tiffany smirked. "Why are you depressed? Now you can be my dance partner. Don't you think that's way better than dancing with her?"

"WHY WOULD I WANT TO DANCE WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU?" Troy shouted. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE TEN TIMES BETTER THAN GABRIELLA IS! YOU COULD'VE KILLED HER!"

Tiffany rolled her eyes. "But she's fine. And now we don't have to worry about her getting between us."

She leaned forward, probably hoping for a kiss. But she never got one.

Without thinking, Troy did the most unthinkable thing.

He pushed her down the stairs.

* * *

Bum-bum-bum.

To be honest, i think tiffany deserved that.


	13. His Past

**_Chapter 13_**

Troy slammed the front door and ran up to his bedroom. He locked his bedroom and flopped down on the bed and put his head in his hand.

He couldn't believe had had just pushed Tiffany down the stairs. Not only would Gabriella probably hate him for life (even though she hated Tiffany, too), his worst fear was coming true.

It was happening all over again.

He could still remember that tragic day...

_"Mommy! Mommy!" a five-year old boy shouted. He stood at the top of the stairs, watching his own mother falling down the apartment stairs. _

_She stopped at the bottom just as Mr. Bolton stepped out of the elevator. _

_"Oh, hi, son. Why are y--" he stopped when he saw his wife's body sprawled on the cold, steel floor._

_"Lucille," he walked over. He shook her gently at first then harder. "Lucille?"_

_She was dead. _

_Mr. Bolton looked up to see Troy standing at the top of the stairs, staring down._

_"You did this!" he shouted at his son. _

_"No!" Troy shouted. "No, I didn't!"_

_"You killed her!" his father yelled._

_"No, I didn't!" Troy exclaimed, running back upstairs to his apartment. But his stomach was tied up in knots. _

Troy had lived with that guilt for five years. Somehow his father had convinced him that he WAS the guilty one. And Troy had believed him.

He was sent to live with his uncle in New York. His uncle treated Troy liks his own son and got him enrolled into Juilliard. Eventually, Troy's father had come to live with them, claiming that he was "cured."

Troy was a bit nervous around his father but still tried to please him.

Until Troy's eleventh birthday...

_"Come here, you!" his dad shouted, pulling on Troy's ear._

_Troy didn't expect this. Then he smelled a whiff of alchohal._

_"Dad! Let go of my ear!" Troy shouted. _

_"You killed her!" Troy's dad shouted. "You're a worthless bastard! Dancing! Ha! I'm gonna hurt you so bad, you won't be able to dance again!"_

_He dragged Troy out of their apartment and stopped at the top of the stairs. _

_All Troy remembered was being pushed..._

Troy had woken up in the hospital. Someone had seen what his father had done and he was arrested for child abuse. His uncle continued to bring him up until he died of a car accident that year.

That was when Troy was sent to live with Aunt Julie.

He had kept that a secret for years. Who knew what people would think when they told him that story? The only person who knew was Sharpay.

And now this...

Seeing Tiffany staring up at him from the bottom had really scared him. Gabriella was practically sleeping but someone must've told her by now.

And he didn't want that. He had hated his father but still tried to please him.

It was the same thing with Gabriella.

But different, too.

He had tried to please his father so he wouldn't be angry at him.

He wanted Gabriella to like him because...well...he loved her.

Not like her. Loved her.

He began to realize that.

But Gabriella probably hated him now.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Troy didn't want to answer it but by the fifth ring, he had.

"Hello?" he answered."

"Hey, Troy."

"Gabriella," Troy gasped. "So you're okay?"

"Yeah." Gabriella was quiet for a minute, then..."I heard you pushed Tiffany down the stairs."

The knots came back.

"Why'd you do that, Troy?" Gabriella wondered. "She was really scared. I know she's a total bitch and all, but--"

Troy sighed. "Look, I have to--"

"And why'd you leave school early?" Gabriella interrupted. "Some of the kids told me you just walked out. How;d you get home?"

"Called a car," Troy answered.

"Well, why did you leave school early?" Gabriella repeated. "I mean it's not like you pushed someone down the stairs before."

Troy turned pale. "Um..."

"Did you?" Gabriella wanted to know.

"Brie, it's kinda hard to explain--"

"Try me," Gabriella told him.

Troy rolled his eyes. "I gotta go."

'But--"

Too late. Troy hung up the phone.

* * *

Gabriella put the phone back in its cradle. Feeling dejected...and scared.

Had Troy pushed someone down the stairs before?

Was that why he left school so early...because he couldn't live with the guilt?

Or was it something else?

Gabriella stared at the phone. Should she call again or...

Suddenly, she had an idea.

She picked up the phone and called Information.

"Hi," she said. "I'd like the Evans' house number, please..."

* * *

**Wow. She's desperate!**


	14. A True Story

**I am sooo sorry for not updating in a while. I had major writers' block. Grr...I hate those!

* * *

**

**_Chapter 14 _**

Sharpay Evans gracefully ran down her carpeted stairs when she heard her house-phone ring. She wanted a phone for her own room but she had to wait until her sixteenth birthday.

_Ugh! Parents are sooo unfair_ , she thought as she placed her hand on the expensive blue wireless phone.

"Helloooo," she sang. "Evans residence. Sharpay Ashley Michelle Evans speaking."

"Nice intro, Sharpay," a familiar voice said sarcastically.

"Who is this?" Sharpay asked.

"It's me," the voice said. "Gabriella Montez."

Sharpay was silent for a few minutes. What could this girl possibly want from _her?_

"What do you want?" the blonde demanded. "And make it quick. I have better things to do than talk to you."

On the other end, Gabriella was thinking quickly how she should bring up ths topic she wanted to talk about. She knew girls like Sharpay. If you did it wrong, good-bye forever.

She only had one choice: flattery.

"Oh, Sharpay," she said slowly. "I really need your help."

"My help?" Sharpay repeated. "Why me?"

"Because you're the only one who can," Gabriella said slowly. "It's about Troy and..."

Sharpay gasped. Was this girl asking her for help on getting Troy? How dare she!

"You're the only one who actually knows him," Gabriella continued.

Sharpay calmed down.

"That is true," Sharpay said.

"I'll probably never known as well as you did, Sharpay," Gabriella said with a sly smile. "But since Troy is my dance partner, I need to know him for more than a great dancer. Since you're an awesome dancer, I'm sure you'd understand how important it is to know the person you're dancing with."

Sharpay nodded. "Yes, that is very important."

"So could you tell me about Troy?" Gabriella asked. "You know, like his habits and likes and dislikes and...his past?"

Sharpay beamed and her brown eyes sparkled. "I'd be glad to help. But I can't do it over the phone, because--"

"Oh, of course," Gabriella cut in. "You probably know so much about Troy that you'll probably run the phone bill high. We certainly can't have that."

Sharpay was just going to say that she'd get in trouble with her father, but she liked Gabriella's reason better.

"How about you meet me at the mall in the food court?" Gabriella suggested. "Fat'free drinks on me."

Sharpay thought about it for a second. "Okay. Meet you there."

The girls quickly hung up, both sighing.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," they said as they headed over to their closets.

* * *

Gabriella searched the food court area for the graceful blonde. She slightly remembered what Sharpay looked like: bouncy blonde hair, brown eyes, and a long nose. But that description seemed to fit almost half of the girls there! She finally gave up and sat down at a table in front of Pazazz.

Sharpay, on the other hand, remembered exactly what Gabriella looked like. All the times Troy had talked about her! And the day she laid eyes on that brunette...Sharpay could never forget those eyes. Those brown eyes that Troy claimed were "prettier than hers!"

She finally saw Gabriella at the counter of Pazazz.

"I'll have a Chocolate Chunk milkshake, please," Gabriella said, handing over some money.

Sharpay walked up beside her, saying, "I'll have a fat-free Cherry Berry."

Gabriella smiled and took out some more money. "I said I'll pay, remember?"

The girls snatched their orders and sat down at the table Gabriella had claimed earlier.

"So what's the deal with Troy?" Gabriella asked. "Like...what was he like when you first met him?

Sharpay closed her eyes, thinking hard. "Well..." she said slowly. "When I first met Troy, he had quite a rep. After all, he attended Juilliard, and his aunt owned the Fine Arts School I was attending."

Gabriella stayed silent. She knew interrupting the blonde would be one-way ticket to screamfest hell.

"He never looked at anyone, though," Sharpay said. "And he didn't smile that much. But he was really polite and he's a great dancer."

Gabriella sighed softly. She knew that was true!

"He lightened up soon after that," Sharpay continued. "He even began to laugh once. But he always got quiet whenever anyone asked him about New York or why he lived with his aunt now."

Sharpay sighed dramatically. "But then..."

Gabriella leaned in.

"I couldn't take it anymore," Sharpay said. "I was so curious and Troy and I were really good friends by then. I felt sort of angry that he didn't trust me enough to tell me what was wrong with him."

"Go on," Gabriella urged. She knew they were coming to the good part.

"So one day I asked if we could talk after dance class," Sharpay said. "He said yes so we stayed after dance class was over. But when I told him what I wanted to talk about, he almost ran away. But I didn't let him. I kept asking him what was wrong with him."

"And then he told me."

Gabriella knew this was the moment she was waiting for.

"He had a rough past," Sharpay told her. "His mom died when he was only five...and he got blamed for it."

Gabriella gasped. "Why?"

"She fell down the stairs and his dad thought he did it."

"His own father?"

"Yeah. Troy was standing at the top of the stairs," Sharpay said. "Besides, his dad was devastated. It would've been easy to jump to conclusions."

The blonde sighed and continued the story. "Anyway, Troy was sent to New York to live with his uncle. That's when he began attending Juilliard."

"Don't you need to audition to get into that school?" Gabriella asked. "I thought it was for professionals only."

"His uncle pulled some string," Sharpay said. "Apparently, he's on the directors' board."

Gabriella was hanging on every word by now.

"And then his dad came. He said he was cured and that he loved Troy," Sharpay continued. "But then on his eleventh birthday..."

"What happened?" Gabriella asked.

"His dad tried to kill him," Sharpay finished. "At least, I think that's what Troy meant. All he said was that his dad pushed him down the stairs."

Gabriella's jaw dropped. "How can a dad be so cruel?"

"I don't know," Sharpay shrugged. She stared at Gabriella. "You're a daddy's girl, right?"

Gabriella nodded...feeling a little offended.

"That's one thing we have in common," the blonde pointed out.

The girls were silent for a few minutes.

Then suddenly Sharpay blurted out, "That's why Troy didn't like you at first."

"Huh?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, he didn't like you but at the same time he wanted you to like him," Sharpay confessed. "He told me that after one of your dance practices. It's just like with his father. When he came to New York, Troy was still a little cold but he wanted his dad to be proud of him."

"That's why he didn't like me?" Gabriella said. "Because he felt the same toward me as he did to his dad?"

"Well...that and the fact that you were popular," Sharpay admitted. "The popular girls made fun of him at his old school. He used to be really nice back then."

So that was he was so distant and mysterious at school!

It totally made sense now!

"Anyway, he really likes you," Sharpay said. "Just promise me one thing."

Gabriella turned to her.

"Promise me that I get to be the Maid of Honor when you two get married," Sharpay said with a grin.

Gabriella laughed. "I promise."

* * *

**No more problems with Sharpay...I don't know if Tiffany would be so easy, though.**


	15. Failure!

**_Chapter 15_**

Gabriella answered the phone on first ring.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, it's Troy," the caller said.

"Oh, hey," Gabriella greeted with a smile. "Why are you calling?"

"Uh...I have a surprise for you," Troy said hesitantly.

"More gifts?" Gabriella teased, remembering the sapphire earrings.

Troy laughed. "Kinda. Do you think you could meet me at the park? You know, the one with the big fountain?"

Gabriella giggled. "You mean, Fountain Park?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Okay, when?"

Troy thought for a second. "How about in half an hour?"

"Great," Gabriella said. "See ya then." She quickly hung up and ran upstairs to change.

* * *

Troy quickly ran towards the big, marble fountain standing in the middle of the park. He was relieved to see that Gabriella hadn't arrived yet.

He fingered the ring he had gotten at Juilliard right before he had moved. It was his favorite ring and he wore it sometimes on special occassions at his dance school.

And he was going to give it to Gabriella.

He had never thought he'd part with his favorite piece of man jewelry. But then again, he had never thought he'd fall in love at the age of fifteen.

Life brought unexpected occurences.

Troy smiled. He couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's faces when they saw HIS ring on her finger. He couldn't wait to show off the fact that Gabriella liked him back.

At least he hoped to.

"Hey, Troy."

Troy mentally groaned. He knew that voice...and he didn't like it.

"What?" Tiffany said sweetly. "You're not even gonna say hi."

Troy stood quiet. Tiffany sighed.

"Listen, Troy, I can't believe I'm doing this," Tiffany said. "After everything that's been going on, anger is very common among us. But...I have to say something."

Troy looked up with surprise. Could she be...

"I've decided to forgive you."

Troy raised his eyebrows. He had not been expecting that.

"I know," Tiffany said. "I'm surprised, too. But if you apologize now, I promise to forgive you...and you get to be my boyfriend!"

Troy made a face. Was this girl serious?

"So, what do you have to say to me, Troy?" Tiffany asked expectantly.

Troy rolled his eyes. Was this girl really serious?

"I'm waiting," Tiffany demanded.

Troy stared at her right in the eye. "Tiffany...."

Tiffany grinned. This was it...

"Get out of my face, please," Troy said.

Tiffany narrowed her eyes. They travelled down to his hands...and saw his ring.

She snatched it.

"Oh, isn't this interesting," Tiffany remarked. "Juilliard...how nice of you, Troy."

"What?" Troy asked.

"Such a nice gift," Tiffany said loudly. "I'll wear it every day!"

And before Troy could say anything, the bitch ran off.

Little did he know that Gabriella saw her, too.

* * *

Gabriella had seen Troy but had quickly hid behind a tree when she saw Tiffany. She was too tired to fight so she decided to reveal herself after Tiffany left.

"Juilliard...how nice of you, Troy."

Gabriella immediately perked her ears. What?

"Such a nice gift," she heard Tiffany say. "I'll wear it every day!"

Gabriella waited for Troy to say something...anything! Surely, that ring couldn't be for Tiffany. Troy had called Gabriella and told her he had a surprise. Surely, the ring was meant for HER.

_But what if it isn't? _Gabriella asked herself. _What if the surprise was..._

_NO! _another voice in her head said. _Don't think that way! He likes YOU!_

_Are you sure? Troy and Tiffany do like the same things. _

_But Troy had always hated Tiffany._

_He had always hated you, too...until now. Maybe his feelings toward Tiffany had changed._

Gabriella gasped. She realized what was going on. Troy had wanted to show her how he really felt about her...without actually speaking to her! He had sketched this little plan to tell Gabriella he didn't like her...that he liked Tiffany.

All that time Troy had insulted Tiffany and had been mean to her...those were just acts. He really liked her!

Gabriella wanted to cry. She really did. She had liked Troy...a lot! She had trusted him. And all this time, Troy had been lying to her! She felt like such an fool! They were dance partners! Now Gabriella wouldn't even be able to look at him!

Gabriella knew there was only one thing to do: Drop out of the competition. There was no way she could find another partner this late. The competition was only a few days away!

_You do realize you'll fail, don't you? _a voice reminded her.

_I already failed in a relationship because I was an idiot. Might as well fail something because I was smart._

Gabriella made up her mind. She would drop out tomorrow morning, bright and early.


	16. Anywhere But Here

_**Chapter 16**_

"I'm dropping out."

Those three words made Coach Wu stop in her tracks. Number one, because she didn't even see Gabriella till then. And number two...

Dropping out?

"What do you mean, Gabriella?" Coach Wu asked.

"I'm dropping out of the competition," Gabriella repeated in a firm voice. "I can't do it."

"But, Gabriella, I don't understand. You were doing so well," Coach Wu argued. "And the competition is this weekend. Why are you dropping out now?"

"I just realized that I can't stop lying to myself," Gabriella answered. "I tried to tell myself that I could do this. But I can't. Not while Troy is my partner."

"Is this what this is all about?" the coach said. "Being partnered up with Troy Bolton?"

Gabriella nodded. "Do you think it will be possible for me to find another partner?"

Coach Wu sadly shook her head. "Not this late. It's too close to the competition. Besides, Bolton was my only choice."

Gabriella's eyes, that were just seconds ago, full of hope, were now dull and lifeless.

"I guess that's that, then," she said quietly. "Thanks for understanding." She turned to leave.

"Wait, Gabriella," Coach Wu called out. "You do realize this means you fail gym for the year, right?"

Gabriella stopped in her tracks. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Her father's disappointed face, kids talking about how the famous Montez had actually failed something.

And the worst part was...she actually had a chance...

"Well...there's a first for everything," Gabriella said in a stiff voice.

She walked off in silence...

* * *

"SHE WHAT?!"

Those words rang clear and loud in the East High hallway before eighth period. Everyone turned to see who the culprit was.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Troy shouted. "THE COMPETITION IS THIS WEEKEND!"

Sharpay glared at him. "Calm down, will you? You'll get in trouble for shouting."

Ever since Sharpay and Gabriella had that talk, the blonde had gotten a much nicer reputation. And her outfits were very toned down and she didn't throw herself at Troy like she used to. But she still had an ear for gossip.

And this was a juicy one, all right!

"How could she do this to me?" His voice was now much lower but there was anger dripping off of every word.

Suddenly two girls walked up to Troy. He vaguely recognized them.

"Janine...and Haley, right?" he said.

"Yeah," Janine said in a cold voice.

Haley spoke next. "Don't bother remembering our names."

"In fact, don't bother speaking to us at all," Janine added. "We heard about what you did."

"Gabriella's bawling in the bathroom now, because of you," Haley jumped in. "Hope your happy. We knew you weren't really happy about having to dance with Gabriella."

"But I'm not anymore!" Troy insisted. "And what did I do?"

"She's not THAT bad, you know," Haley cut in, completely ignoring him. "I know she failed gym and all. But not because she's clumsy. It's just Coach Wu. You know how hard her gym class is and..."

"Oh, shut up, Haley!" Janine exclaimed. She turned back to Troy. "You know, Bolton, I know you're not exactly a warm and fuzzy person and all, but what you did was the ultimate low. Not only that, but you lied to Gabriella. You made it totally seem like you hated Tiffany then you give that bitch your ring--"

"WHAT?!"

Both Janine and Haley flinched. Even Sharpay stepped back a little.

"Gabriella saw you give Tiffany your ring," Janine said, with her eyes down. She looked a lot more timid now.

"It was really low to lead Gabriella on like that," Haley added.

With that, the two girls left for their eighth period, hurrying, partly because they didn't want to be late, but mostly because they were afraid Troy was gonna blow up.

And they did NOT want to witness that.

Sharpay, however, glared at Troy. "You gave that drama bitch your ring? Your _Juilliard _ring? To Tiffany GREEN?! What the hell, Bolton?!"

"I DIDN'T!" Troy shouted, ignoring all the stares. "She took it from me!"

Sharpay crossed her arms. I was obvious that she did not believe a single word he had just said.

"I _was _going to give it to Gabriella--"

"Was?" Sharpay cut in.

"Will you let me finish?" Troy shouted angrily. "I was planning to give it to her. At the park. But then I ran into Tiffany--"

"You ran into her or you met her there?" Sharpay interrogated.

Troy stared at Sharpay with pleading eyes. "You don't believe me, do you?"

Sharpay took a small step back. "I'm sorry, Troy, but all this...I mean, I wasn't there so I don't know what happened. But Tiffany did end up getting the ring."

"Against my will!" Troy said. "Do you really think I want that bitch flaunting MY favorite ring?"

"Well, maybe you should've thought of that before you gave it to her," Sharpay shouted back.

"YOU THINK I DID THAT ON PURPOSE?!" Troy yelled. "Why aren't you listening to me? Why isn't anyone listening to me?!"

Without waiting for an answer, he slammed his locker shut and headed down the hallway...away from Sharpay and...and...

_I can't believe this is happening, _Troy thought. _I knew i should have gone to her house instead. Troy! what's wrong with you?_

_But you can just apologize, _another voice said. _Yeah! that's it!! Just apologize. Find her and tell her it was all a big misunderstanding. She'll understand..._

"Hey! Watch where you're going, Bolton!"

The sharp voice woke Troy out of his mind. That voice...

"What the hell?" Gabriella snapped. "So humuliating me wasn't good enough? Now you're trying to break my foot, too? If you didn't want me to compete, all you had to do was just say so!!"

"What?" Troy said. "No, Brie--"

"Don't you dare call me that!!" Gabriella shouted.

"Look, let me explain--"

Gabriella held her nose up and swooshed past him, saying, "You don't have to explain. I saw everything."

Troy felt like throwing up.

----

The rest of the day was rough for Troy. It was bad enough that Gabriella was avoiding him. But Tiffany kept flaunting his ring and made sure that everyone heard the story about he had personally given it to her. She spoke especially loudl whenever Gabriella was around.

Girls who had admired Gabriella since pre-k hissed at Troy and glared at him with narrow darts called eyes. Guys, espcially football jocks, made threatening and sexist jokes whenever he was around. Even the teachers seemed to have joined against him. He didn't know how many times he had been ignored by a teacher today.

Troy just wanted to go home. Or better yet he could go back to the dance school. Acted like nothing happened.

Oh..wait...Sharpay went there. Never mind.

He slipped into an empty classroom. The only things inside it was an old roll-top desk and a few chairs. He leaned against the door to keep it shut.

"You should've just killed me, Dad," Troy whispered to himself. "You were right. I derserved to die."

"Now you shouldn't be saying that about yourself," an unfamiliar voice said.

Troy looked up. Someone was in here?

A black girl, probably shorter than him, came out from behind desk.

"Who are you?" Troy asked in his rudest tone. "Eacesdropping, huh? Don't you have something better t odo?"

The girl's eyesbrows shot up. "Well, excuuuse me. For your information, I was in classroom waaay beforeyou. So technically, it's your fault."

Troy didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm Taylor," the girl said. "Taylor McKessie. No need to ask who you are. You're that Bolton guy."

"Yeah," Troy mumbled.

"I've heard a lot about you," Taylor went on.

Troy snorted. "That's great. What did you hear then? Pleasant stuff, huh? Or the usual? Pushing girls down the stairs. Oh! how about the latest one..."

"How you gave that Tiffany girl your ring and humuliated Gabriella?" Taylor cut in.

Troy buried his head in his arms, too ashamed to even look up.

"I don't believe that."

Troy's head shot up. What?

"You don't seem like the type of person who would do that," Taylor said. "Besides...I was there. I saw everything, including hte look on your face. And I see the way you look at Tifffany. There's no way you like her. You like Gabriella. I can tell."

Troy's mouth fell open but he didn't know how to respond to that. This girl...this girl that he didn;t even know...believed _him? _

Taylor smiled. "Yeah, I know. It seems like everyone is against you. But like I said, I was there. I know everything."

"Too bad the whole school doesn't," Troy muttered. "Even Gabriella hates me now. And Sharpay, too."

"Yeah, well, Gabriella's stubborn. And Sharpay...I don't know her too well, but..."

"Well," Troy cut in. "At least someone believes me." He stood up to leave.

"Wait," Taylor said. "Just answer me one thing." Short pause. "Do you really love Gabriella?"

Troy hesitated before turning around and answering..."More then you can imagine."

Then he closed the door shut, leaving Taylor with a surprised look on her face.

Troy trudged down the hall, wandering aimlessly. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't even care. It could lead to the Pit of Doom and he wouldn't care.

"Hey, Troy!" a perky voice said. "I've been looking alll over for you!!"

Troy closed his eyes. _Not this...anything but this..._

"It's amazing!" Tiffany exclaimed, giving him a huge hug. "You and I are partners for the Annual Dance Competition!"

Troy didn't say anything, hoping she would go away. But unfortunately, she took his silence as a sign of utter excitement.

"I know. It's soo great!" Tiffany said, smiling. "We have to start practicing right away! Not that we need to. That trophy practically has our name on it, but still..."

Troy kept his eyes closed, drowing out Tiffany. He just wanted to get away...he wanted to be anywhere.

Anywhere but here...

* * *

**Ok...I'm sooooooooooooooooooo sorry. it's been months since i've updated. but i finally put up a chapter. and i made sure it was long!!! **


	17. Seeing is Believing

_**Chapter 17**_

"Oh,_ puh-leeze_..."

"_It's the truth_!"

It was after school. The bell had just rung and kids were already pouring out of the exit doors. Sharpay had been checking off every possibly afternoon activity available when someone had suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"OW!" she screamed. "What the hell?!"

She turned around and came face to face with a vaguely familiar girl...

"It's Tori, right?" she said.

The girl didn't flinch. "Taylor."

"What do you want?" Sharpay asked with narrowed eyes.

"Troy didn't do it," Taylor began. "That ring was meant for Gabriella. He--"

"Oh, gawd, not this again!" Sharpay cut in. "Look, I know Troy and--"

"So you'd probably know how much he hated Tiffany," Taylor said.

"No," Sharpay snapped. "I know he's a good actor. And trust me. That little skit that he performed at school today about being all angry and stuff. That was totally an act."

"But he hates Tiffany!" Taylor insisted. "Surely, you know that!"

"I also know he used to hate Gabriella," Sharpay went on. "And he liked her for a while--"

"Look," Taylor sighed. "I may not know Troy as much as you do. But I know he's telling the truth-"

"How would you know?" Sharpay demanded.

"I was there!" Taylor shouted.

That's when the words came out: "Oh, puh-leeze!" "It's the truth!"

"How much did Troy pay you to feed me this stuff?" Sharpay asked.

"He didn't do anything," Taylor said. "But I was there myself. I saw it with my own eyes. He meant to give that ring for Gabriella! Not Tiffany!!"

"And I should believe this because--" Sharpay was suddenly yanked by her hand. It took her only seconds to realize that Taylor was pulling her towards the school.

"Hey!" Sharpay shouted. "What are you doing! Let go of me!!"

"You have to see for yourself," Taylor said.

"See what?!"

Without answering, Sharpay got pulled into an empty, deserted classroom. She recognized it immediately when she aw the cherry wood roll-top desk.

"The old AV room?" Sharpay snorted. "This is what you wanted me to see? How is this gonna prove that Troy--"

"Just shut up!" Taylor said as she went behind the roll-top desk. "The proof is in here."

Sharpay gasped. Well!

When Taylor came out from behind the desk, she had a small camera in her hand. "This was on one of the chairs. I didn't know it was on till i saw it. And it has everything."

Taylor turned the camera on and set it to 'Playback' mode. A dark classroom came into view. And there was Troy.

"Hey--" Sharpay started.

"Ssshhhh," Taylor said. The video started.

(**Troy**/_Taylor_)

**"You should've just killed me, Dad. You were right. I deserved to die."**

_"Now you shouldn't be saying that about yourself."  
_

**"Who are you? Eavesdropping, huh? Don't you have something better to do?"**

_"Well, excuuuse me. For your information, I was in classroom waaay before you. So technically, it's your fault."_

Sharpay giggled before Taylor shushed her again.

_"I'm Taylor. Taylor McKessie. No need to ask who you are. You're that Bolton guy."_

"That Bolton guy?" Sharpay repeated.

**"Yeah." **

_"I've heard a lot about you." _

**"That's great. What did you hear then? Pleasant stuff, huh? Or the usual? Pushing girls down the stairs. Oh! how about the latest one..."**

_"How you gave that Tiffany girl your ring and humuliated Gabriella? I don't believe that."_

Troy's head shot up.

_"You don't seem like the type of person who would do that. Besides...I was there. I saw everything, including the look on your face. And I see the way you look at Tiffany. There's no way you like her. You like Gabriella. I can tell."_

Troy's mouth fell open._  
_

_"Yeah, I know. It seems like everyone is against you. But like I said, I was there. I know everything."_

**"Too bad the whole school doesn't. Even Gabriella hates me now. And Sharpay, too."**

_"Yeah, well, Gabriella's stubborn. And Sharpay...I don't know her too well, but..."_

**"Well, at least someone believes me."** He stood up to leave.

_"Wait. Just answer me one thing." Short pause. "Do you really love Gabriella?"_

Sharpay gasped as she saw the look on Troy's face as he said, "More then you can imagine."

Then it went black.

"The tape ran out after that," Taylor told her. "But you see it now, don't you?"

Sharpay couldn't believe it. And she felt so bad. All this time, he was telling the truth.

"Ohmygawd!" she exclaimed. "We have to show Gabriella this tape!"

Taylor smiled. She and the blonde were thinking on the same frequency.


	18. When You Have Lemons, Make Lemon Tea

**this chapter is dedicated to independentHSMFAN23 cuz she's the one who came up with the perfect outline for this chapter!!**

**i finally got enough votes. thanks so much, u guys!  
**

* * *

**_Chapter 18_**

The atmosphere was quiet in Gabriella's house....or rather, Gabriella's _room_. Her house was fairly large but the fact that maids and hired helpers were bustling around kind of killed the silence.

The household was used to it now. Gabriella had been quiet for days and this was no difference...to them anyway. But for Gabriella it was. Everytime she looked at her gigantic puppy calendar hanging on the wall, the knot inside her stomach became tighter.

Because there it was...in big, red letters...

_Annual Dance Competition 6-8 pm. _

She wanted to rip the calendar apart. She wanted to scream and kick and throw around everything she could get hands on. But at the same time...

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Startled, Gabriella whipped her head around to find Taylor McKessie standing in her doorway with Janine and Haley.

But that startled feeling immediately turned to gloom. "What do you guys want?"

"We want to know why the _hell_," Janine cut in, "you are still in your pajamas?"

"Excuse me?" Gabriella raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"You have a dance competition to go to," Haley reminded her. "Duh!"

"I'm not competing," Gabriella said stubbornly.

Taylor laughed. "Of course you're not. But Sharpay is. And you are joining our support committee."

"Come on," Haley said, throwing a shirt at Gabriella. "You have to come. It'll be fun."

Gabriella glared at Haley as a silent war began in her head. On one hand, she didn't want to be anywhere near the competition. On the other...

"Sharpay needs our support," Taylor pointed out. "Besides, you're her friend, right? And I made signs for u to hold, too." She showed Gabriella the backpack she was holding. "You would be wasting paper, if you didn't come."

Gabriella sighed. She couldn't argue with that anymore.

"Fine," she grumbled. "I'll be down in five."

The three others squealed with delight, leaving Gabriella alone in her room to change.

"You better come," Janine warned Gabriella before closing the door.

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she yanked her shirt on.

_I'll kill them for this, _she promised herself.

------

"Do you think she'll come?" Haley asked quietly as they walked down the stairs.

Janine glared in the direction of Gabriella's room. "She better. I gave up two dates and a yoga class for this!"

Taylor smiled smugly. "You girls are so negative. That's unhealthy, you know. Gabriella will come down, you'll see."

"But what if the plan doesn't work?" Haley said nervously. "Even if we do get her there, we may be too late. Or something might happen to her costume..."

Taylor shook her finger. "Uh-uh-uh. Happy thoughts, only. Besides, Gabriella might hear."

Just then Gabriella appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Can we go now?" she asked, running down to join them. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave."

Thankfully, she didn't notice Taylor's hand grip the strap of her backpack tighter.

-----

Sharpay glared at the clock.

"Where are they?" she whispered to herself. She was already decked out in her silk lime green waltz dress (**link in profile)**. Her makeup was ready. Her hair was in an elegant french bun and her partner, Ryan, was ready, too.

"Hey, sis," Ryan said, looking at himself in the mirror. "Should I spike up my hair? I mean, I know we're doing the waltz and all. But I wanna stand out, you know."

Sharpay nodded. "Fine. But don't do a faux hawk. Just spike up the front. Like an asian."

Ryan nodded as he dipped his hand into his gel.

She glared at the clock. Where were the girls? They were supposed to arrive earlier. If they didn't show up--

"Sharpay?"

Sharpay opened the door. "Finally! Where have you--"

Then she noticed their number. "Where's Gabriella? She IS coming right?"

Janine sighed. "Chill. She just went to the bathroom. We sent Haley with her to make sure she doesn't bail."

Sharpay sighed of relief. She turned to Taylor.

"Do you have everything?"

Taylor nodded, handing over her backpack. "I got the tape transferred to DVD. I have the laptop, too."

"Good," Sharpay said, exhilarated. "Kelsi has everything ready in the Audio Room."

"Who's Kelsi?" Janine asked.

"I'm Kelsi," a small voice answered.

Sharpay smiled. "This is Kelsi Nielson. She goes to the Johnson's Academy, too. She wants to be a music composer. I had her set everything up since it won't look so supicious if she was caught in the Audio Room. She's in charge of the sound system and the music and everything."

"Oh," Taylor said, extending a hand. "I'm Taylor. It's great to meet you."

Kelsi smiled as she shook hands. Janine, on the other hand, couldn't stop staring. This girl was tiny! But her eyes...they seemed to big for her face. But her mouth sort of balanced everything out. She looked cute in a pixie sort of way.

Kelsi eyed the backpack. "Is the DVD in there?"

Taylor and Sharpay both nodded. Janine took out the DVD and the laptop and handed them over to Kelsi.

"Be careful with the laptop," Taylor told her. "It was expensive."

Kelsi chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll be careful."

Gabriella arrived just as Kelsi turned the corner.

"Hey, Shar," she said, putting on her I'm-really-glad-to-be-here-smile. "You look gorgeous."

Sharpay smiled. "Thanks." _And you will, too, _she thought as she eyed Gabriella's hair. _Hmm...french braid or half pony?_

_----_

Tiffany grinned as she applied the last coat of lipstick.

_Beautiful, _she thought to herself. _As always._

Tiffany couldn't be any happier. Things were finally going her way. As, of course, she knew they would. Gabriella was finally out of her way, she had the first prize of the competition sewn up, and she was sure it was about time Troy would fall for her.

During the days they spend practicing, Troy hadn't warmed up to her...yet. But in just a few hours, after Troy saw how magnificent she was, holding that first place trophy, he was sure to fall for her as every other guy had done in the past.

Tiffany eyed her dress. She loved every inch of it. It was royal blue with sequins in a diagonal pattern across the front. The bottom of her skirt was covered her feathers that swished around when she turned. It had a matching choker and her shoes were studded with rhinestones of the same blue color.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Tiffany glared. How dare they disturb her?

The door opened and her mother came in. "Tiffany, sweetie, it's time for hydration."

The girl smiled again as she reached for the glass of lemon tea.

She took the cup, mentally giving herself cheers as she congratulated on a sewn-up victory.

She raised the cup to her lips and took a sip.


	19. Raspberry Tea!

**ohmygod! i am soooooo sorry! how long has it been? A YEAR! i totally hate myself, like it's not even funny! please forgive me and review, guys! and don't hate me toooo much.**

**This is all thanks to Real-Wishes. For those of you who don't know what i'm talking about, i had a HUGE problem with my other stories. Writer's block...MAJOR! anyway, a friend of mine (A REALLY _SUPERSTITIOUS_ friend of mine) told me about this website: _Real-Wishes. _She told me it would grant any wish (apparently, it worked for her) so yeah, i wished my writer's block was gone and i posted the link to this image (make a wish (its on my profile)) and told people about the website. It's not TOTALLY gone but sometimes, it'll just be like BAM! And i'll have a chapter or two up in like seconds! **

**So even though it's silly (and u hate me) click on the link u guys. And remember...**

**~.Believe.~**

**btw: u guys know any good blogs about skin care or beauty tips? its not for me. apparently, my cousin wants a makeover or whatevs. But yeah any website that tells u stuff like that. And it would be great if i could comment, u know ask questions and stuff. **

**

* * *

_Chapter 19..._****  
**

Gabriella quickly walked out of the bathroom, checking the hallway before she turned the corner...

and bumped right into Haley.

"Took you long enough," Haley said, grabbing her hand. "Come on. Let's go find seats."

Gabriella huffed. "Well, thanks a lot."

"Hey, I know what you were trying to do back there," Haley pointed out. "You were gonna bail. Why do you think Taylor sent me after you?"

Gabriella was silent as Haley dragged her all way to the gymnasium, where the competition was to take place.

Haley and Gabriella couldn't help but stare. This gym was HUGE...way bigger than the gym at East High. Then again, this was a college gym. It was already full of people and sounds of talking, counting, food munching, the whole deal.

"I guess those are the judges," Haley said, gesturing towards the panel in front of the bleachers. One man was organizing what looked like flashcards and adjusting the microphone. Gabriella guessed he was the MC.

"Is that a plasma?" Gabriella asked, pointing at something near the scoreboard.

"That must be so people can see the competition even when it's far away," Haley answered. "I saw the school's camera crew while I was waiting for you."

"Hey, there's Gabriella."

Gabriella and Haley both turned to their left and saw a couple of kids running towards them. Gabriella remember some of them vaguely, but from where...

"You're Gabriella," one boy said. He stuck out his hand. "We met, remember? At the Fine Arts School?"

"I don't remember meeting you," Gabriella said. She turned to the girl. "Or you."

"We were there when you came to see Troy," the girl reminded her. "We didn't officially introduce ourselves. I'm Charlene. And this lumphead is Devon."

Haley shook their hands enthusiastically. Gabriella, on the other hand, only did it half-heartedly.

"It's just too bad you're not competing," Charlene pointed out. "Troy was super-bummed. And Sharpay was, too. And we were all looking forward to meet you."

"Yeah, Troy kept going on and on about you," Devon added. "He said you were really talented."

"Oh, well, maybe next year," Charlene suggested. "You'll compete then, right?"

But Gabriella barely heard. She was in a complete daze as she thought about what Charlene and Devon just told her. Troy had raved about her and said she was talented?

Hearing this made Gabriella's heart sink.

Then why had he given Tiffany that ring?

Haley quickly saw the look of dejection on Gabriella's face and decided it was time to go.

"We're gonna go find seats," Haley said, blocking Gabriella's face. "Um, break a leg."

"Thanks," Charlene said, waving.

"Nice to meet you, Brie," Devon added.

"No," Gabriella heard Charlene say. "That's Troy's nickname for her, you idiot."

_Not anymore, _Gabriella thought glumly.

Haley's worry began to grow as Gabriella slumped in her seat (er...spot on the bleachers?). She eyed the plasma screen and secretly crossed her fingers.

_Please let this work, _she silently pleaded. _Please!

* * *

_Troy sighed as he fixed his bowtie and slicked back his hair. The lights around his mirror seemed blinding.

_And I don't have my ring for good luck, _Troy mentally groaned. _Cuz that bitch...oops, my partner is wearing it!_

Troy eyed his costume. It was a pair of navy pants with white button-up. A sapphire vest went over it and on his feet were polished black dance shoes. His bowtie matched the color of his vest exactly.

But right now Troy wanted to rip his costume off. The only reason why he had gone with the blue concept was because of those earrings he had bought Gabriella. She would've looked so pretty in blue.

But now he had to dance with Tiffany...who, in his opinion, couldn't look any worse.

During his practices with Tiffany, Troy had half the mind to just quit. But it was already too close to the competition and his team was counting on him.

"Yeah, lucky me," Troy said to himself as he left the dressing room.

The gym was already buzzing by the time he entered. His team was already gathered near the water fountain, stretching and going over their steps.

His aunt was there, too, reviewing the partners.

"Charlene and Devon will go first with the tango," she said. "Then Fiona and Sam will follow with the Samba...Sharpay and Ryan will be doing the waltz..."

Suddenly, Katherine, the new assistant, suddenly came running, nearly crashing into some of the dancers.

"Mrs. Johnson," Katherine gasped. "We have a problem."

"What is it?" Mrs. Johnson demanded. "Speak up, girl."

"It's Miss Green," Katherine told her. "Her mother is frantic. She won't be able to compete."

"What?" Mrs. Johnson gasped. "We must go see her. Who is Tiffany's partner?"

By this time, the entire team was watching the intense conversation. As soon as Tiffany's name was mentioned, Troy stepped forward.

"I am," he answered.

Mrs. Johnson put an arm around her nephew. "You wait here, Troy."

With that, she and Katherine left, leaving the entire team wondering and thinking: _what the hell?_

"What do you think happened?" Charlene asked.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "She probably realized her costume makes her look fat or something."

"You think she'll be able to compete?" Ryan said.

Sharpay glared at her brother. "Why do you care? She was a bitch anyway."

It wasn't even a ten minutes before Mrs. Johnson came back with a grave look on her face. She made a beeline for Troy.

"Troy," she said. "I'm afraid there's some bad news. Tiffany won't be able to compete."

Troy's jaw dropped. "Why not?"

At that moment, a woman with mass of blond hair followed, shouting, "How dare they give my daughter raspberry tea? I specifically asked for lemon? She's allergic to raspberry. Ohmigod! All those hives!"

"Hives?" Troy repeated. "Crap! She's got hives?"

There was no way Tiffany was gonna be able to dance. Now Troy had no partner.

He covered his face with his hands as everyone else surrounded him, mumbling apologies while the adults tried to reassure Mrs. Green.

In fact, it was so chaotic that nobody noticed a certain blond sneak out of the gym...

...except her twin brother.

* * *

**there it is, u guys. again, i am sooo sorry! **

**and remember the link!  
**


	20. You're Doing This!

**_"If you're heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme..." -Real Wishes_**

* * *

**_Chapter 20_**

Sharpay green dress swished around her legs as she sped towards her dressing room.

There was Taylor, waiting expectantly.

"How did it go?" she asked anxiously.

Sharpay smirked. "Step 1 is complete. Tiffany has to go to the emergency room." She turned to Janine. "You go get Gabriella."

Janine didn't have to be asked twice.

"Just how did you figure out she was allergic to raspberry?" Taylor dared to ask.

"I saw her pick out all the raspberries out of the fruit cup during lunch," Sharpay recalled. "She told her friend she was allergic."

"You know people die because of allergic reactions," Taylor reminded her.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "That's why I told them millisecond! Steep for a tiny second. That won't kill her."

As Sharpay rummaged through Taylor's backpack, Taylor couldn't help but take a tiny step back. This girl had guts but she was scary, too!

"Did you put the costume in here?" Sharpay asked as she threw other items aside.

"Yeah, it's at the bottom," Taylor told her.

Sharpay finally pulled out a blue dress, holding it in front of her.

"Thank god it's not wrinkled," Sharpay sighed of relief. "Gawd, I owe Renata big time!"

"Renata?" Taylor repeated. "Don't tell me you had this costume custom-made!"

"I had to," Sharpay rolled her eyes. "I couldn't risk the possibility of Tiffany wearing the same thing! Besides," she held it up in front of Taylor, "isn't it gorgeous?"

Taylor had to admit, the dress _was _beautiful. It was royal blue with bursts of diamonds placed over the chest area. The bottom was trimmed with satin and was brought up to one side **(link in profile).**

"I cannot wait to see Gabriella in it," Sharpay squealed.

"First, we have to get her here," Taylor pointed out. "And you have to tell your teacher that she's gonna compete."

"Right," Sharpay said, throwing the dress at Taylor. "The cha-cha is the last portion of the competition That's at 7:30. You and Janine have to make sure she's ready by then."

Taylor nodded as she carefully folded the dress and dipped her hand into the backpack, taking out various pots of makeup.

Sharpay turned the doorknob to her dressing room and flung the door open.

She was about to leave but she froze. There was her brother, Ryan, standing there with his arms crossed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Taylor and Sharpay shared a look of panic.

This was so not part of the plan.

* * *

Janine quickly made her way towards the gymnasium, speed-walking the whole way.

The gym was already crowded by the time she got there but thankfully, the crowd was thin on the bleachers. Janine had no trouble finding Haley and Gabriella.

She took a deep breath. Time to put on her acting face.

"You guys have to come quick!" Janine said, scampering off the steps. "Haley, Gabriella! Come on!"

"Janine, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"It's Sharpay," Janine said, hoping her concern was convincing. "She's in panic-mode right now."

"Why?" Haley asked.

"I don't know why. I mean, this isn't her first competition. But she's really worried."

In all honesty, Janine was relieved Haley only had one line. Even that one line seemed trouble enough for her!

But judging by the look in Gabriella's eyes, it was working.

"Let's go," Haley suggested.

The three girls out of the gym, Haley accidentally knocking over someone's popcorn on the way.

"Hey!" the kid shouted.

"Sorry!" Haley said as they ran out of the gym.

The three girls ran through the hallways, but the reasons were quite different. Gabriella wanted to make sure her friend was okay.

Haley and Janine...welll, Sharpay wasn't really panicking...

* * *

Except now.

"Sharpay," Ryan said. "You have some explaining to do..."

"I'll be in the bathroom," Taylor said, quickly sidestepping Ryan. Before Sharpay could protest, Taylor was outta sight.

Sharpay continued to stare at her brother as he paced back and forth in front of her.

"So let me get this straight," Ryan said. "You poisoned Tiffany-"

"I did not," Sharpay cut in. "I just gave her some raspberry tea and-"

"which she was allergic to," Ryan interrupted. "All because...why?"

"Because Gabriella should be dancing with Troy," Sharpay told him.

Ryan stared at his sister. "Why?"

Sharpay huffed. She didn't particularly enjoy being treated like a child, thank you very much.

"Because," Sharpay said, "Troy loves Gabriella and she loves him, too. They're perfect for each other. And Gabriella is gonna fail gym if she's not in this competition."

"Her name isn't even registered on the competition, remember?" Ryan reminded her. "Mrs. Johnson took it out!"

"We can say she's a last-minute replacement," Sharpay said. "That's totally allowed. I should know."

"Yeah, you should," Ryan muttered. Sharpay gave him a death glare.

"For your information, Ryan," Sharpay hissed, "this isn't for my own gain this time. I'm trying to help somebody out here. A real friend who deserves it. And she's on her way right now so you better not ruin everything! Or so help me, you'll never be able to another jazz square for the rest of your life!"

Ryan was silent for a second after his sister's threat. It wasn't she that scared him. No, he was used to her threats and blackmail by now. Besides, she couldn't break his legs. She valued his dancing skills too much.

No, it was what Sharpay said about Gabriella. She had called her 'a real friend'.

Ryan had never, ever thought he would hear his own sister say those words.

As long as he could remember, Sharpay had never had any real friends. Sure, there were the kids in dance class, but those were just acquaintances. People you said hi to but not really important. When Sharpay did something, it had always been for her and her only.

But now, here she was, telling Ryan that all this was Gabriella Montez...it was unreal.

So Ryan did the only thing he could think of.

He placed a hand on both of his shoulders and, looking straight into her eyes, said, "I never thought this day would come!"

"Huh?" Sharpay said.

Suddenly, she nearly toppled over as Ryan gave her a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, sis!" Ryan exclaimed, giving her a tight squeeze. "You're doing all this for someone else! I can't believe it!"

Sharpay had to admit...the hug was nice. But her hair!

"You're mussing up my hair!" Sharpay accused him. She checked her mirror to make sure no strand was out of place.

At that moment, Janine, Haley, and Gabriella ran in, followed by Taylor was grinning triumphantly.

"I'm gonna go now," Ryan said, smiling at his sister. As he left though, he said, "A tight bun is a good idea!"

"Wha?" Gabriella said as she eyed Ryan. "Who is he?"

"My brother," Sharpay answered, grabbing Gabriella's arm. "Sit."

"What?" Gabriella gasped. "I came here to give you moral support, Shar. I thought you were freaking out-"

"Me, freak out?" Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Please. On what planet?"

"Wait, I'm confused, " Gabriella said. "What's going on?"

"Tiffany can't dance," Sharpay told her. "Some idiot gave her an allergic reaction. She's on her way to the ER with hives."

"Which means Troy can't dance," Haley added, "unless you do."

"So you're dancing," Janine finished, staring at Gabriella's reflection, "period."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Gabriella asked, trying to stand up.

"No!" the other girls chorused. Haley pushed Gabriella back into the chair while Janine attacked her with foundation.

"I did not waste my and Renata's time on your costume just to have you flake out," Sharpay said. "You're doing this."

"Why should I?" Gabriella demanded.

"If you don't, Troy can't compete," Sharpay pointed out. "It's in the rules."

"Should I care?" Gabriella asked with a bit difficulty. Janine was now rubbing the concealer in.

"Yes!" Taylor said, holding a pot of blush. "Besides, you'll fail gym if you don't do this."

"So what?" Gabriella said, although this time her tone was a bit softer.

The girls were quick to notice.

"You're doing this," Sharpay said. "We did not just bring you all the way over to _watch. _You're dancing. Okay?"

Gabriella looked at her friends in the mirror. All of them had the same face: Do it or die (in a way).

Besides, they did bring her all the way over here...and she would fail if she didn't do this...

"Okay," Gabriella sighed. "I'm in."

Janine's mascara wand was already halfway there.

* * *

**woohoo! Gabriella's dancing!**

**Remember to click on the link and remember...**

**~.Believe.~  
**


	21. Beauty in Sequined Blue

_**Chapter 21**_

"Hey, Troy."

Troy looked up. Charlene was standing before him, wearing her flowing blue Viennese dress.

"Hey, Charlene," he said. "You better hurry up. I think the Viennese Waltz is up next."

Charlene gave a sad smile. "The Viennese just finished. Devon and I made the finals."

Troy nodded. "Oh."

Charlene frowned. Normally, Troy would've been excited about news like this. She knelt until she was eye-level with Troy.

"Look, Troy," she sighed. "I'm so sorry."

Troy forced a smile. "It's okay, Charlene. There's always next year."

"But you waited so long for this," Charlene reminded him. "And you practice harder than anyone else. It seems so unfair and-"

"Charlene," Troy cut in. "It's okay."

Charlene knew it was pointless to say anymore. It would just make him feel worse.

Troy was grateful when Charlene walked away to join Devon. The number one thing he couldn't stand was pity, especially towards him.

Julie Johnson stared at her nephew with concerned eyes. She knew what a great disappointment this was to Troy. Yes, there was always next year but...

Suddenly, she became aware of a presence. She turned to her left to find Sharpay staring at her with determined eyes.

"Yes, Sharpay?" she asked almost wearily, wondering what the girl was up to this time.

Sharpay smile. "Miss Johnson. I know someone who can dance with Troy."

Julie sighed. "That's very kind of you, Sharpay, but you know the rules. You cannot dance for more than one-"

"I'm not talking about me."

That made Julie stop. What was this? There was someone _else _who could replace Tiffany?

"Who?"

The questioned was answered by a quiet voice saying, "Me."

This time, everyone noticed a petite brunette head over to their dance teacher. Her hair was in a half-updo, her hair curled and stylishly messy. Her face held a hint of makeup and she was wearing a beautiful blue dress with sequins...just perfect for the cha-cha.

Charlene gasped as she recognized the girl. "Gabriella!"

The other students heard her and began to whisper.

"Gabriella!"

"Gabriella Montez?"

"She's back!"

"It's Gabriella!"

Gabriella ignored these whisperings. She was used to them. Besides, she had her eyes on only one person.

"Gabriella."

Gabriella's heart gave a slight drop as she heard the pained formal tone in Troy's voice. Then she remembered that he didn't call her by her nickname anymore.

"Hi, Troy," she said softly.

To her surprise, Troy's eyes narrowed to two thin slits. The intense blue in his eyes seemed to penetrate her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Gabriella forced the tears back. "I'm here to dance."

Troy crossed his arms. "I don't need you, Montez."

Montez? So they were back to that, huh?

"I'm not doing this for you,_ Bolton_," Gabriella spat out. "I'm doing this for Sharpay and Charlene and Devon and everyone else who wanted to see you dance."

Troy's eyes immediately widened in surprise.

"But if you wanna selfish," Gabriella continued, "then forget it." She turned to leave.

Suddenly, impulse moved Troy's hand forward and grabbed her arm.

"No," he said.

That was all Julie needed to hear.

"Sharpay," she said. "Go tell the judges that there have been a last minute replacement in our team."

Sharpay was already moving, her green dress flying behind her.

"You two should get on the dance floor," Julie said, pushing Gabriella and Troy just slightly.

Before Troy knew it, he and Gabriella were on their designated spots on the dance floor, their numbers pinned to their backs. As Gabriella turned slightly to search the stands for her friends, Troy noticed her earrings.

They were blue.

Sapphire blue.

Gabriella was wearing the earrings. _His _earrings. The one he had given her.

This gave Troy's heart a lift. He barely heard the commentator announce the start of the cha-cha portion.

The music started. Troy's body memory started to kick in and to his surprise and relief, Gabriella had no trouble following. It seemed as though she remembered every step, so well that Troy wondered if she had been secretly practicing. Nevertheless, Troy thought she looked like a goddess, with her blue dress flowing around her.

Troy knew to keep his eyes off the judges, but he could sense their approval as he and Gabriella spun past them.

He kept his eyes on the beauty in front of him, swatched in sequined blue material. She became slightly harder to see as the lights began to dim.

Wait...the lights were dimming?

The music suddenly stopped and the dancers froze as people began to realize this fact. Crowds looked up, wondering if something was wrong with the lighting.

Troy, without even thinking, grabbed Gabriella and held her close.

Just then the lights went out.


	22. Happy Ending

_**Chapter 22**_

To say it was chaos would be an understatement.

It was like hell had just seeped through the ground.

It started on the bleachers, scared and afraid of the darkness. Someone screamed and the audience stood up, despite the staff's efforts to calm down. The audience descended the bleachers, determined to leave before anything else happened.

But there was something in their way: the dancers.

Gabriella stood, frozen, as she listened. She couldn't see anything, but she could feel the gym floor vibrating as thousands and thousands began to run, the panic almost tangible.

A stampede.

"Brie!" someone shouted. "Brie!"

_Troy, _thought Gabriella. _Yes, Troy! I'm here!_

But fear kept her mouth frozen and she couldn't make herself even whisper those words. But she didn't have to. Troy found her and grabbed her hand.

Suddenly, the TV screen on the wall lit up. Everyone turned to stare at the sudden lights.

_"You should've just killed me, Dad. You were right. I deserved to die."_

Troy gave a start. No, that wasn't his voice...**  
**

_"Now you shouldn't be saying that about yourself."_

By now, the entire audience was watching and screen became clear, showing a darkened classroom. Some people pointed as they recognized the dancer. _  
_

_"Who are you? Eavesdropping, huh? Don't you have something better to do?"_

_"Well, excuuuse me. For your information, I was in classroom waaay before you. So technically, it's your fault."_

Gabriella's mouth dropped. When had this happened?_  
_

_"I'm Taylor. Taylor McKessie. No need to ask who you are. You're that Bolton guy."_

_"Yeah." _

_"I've heard a lot about you." _

_"That's great. What did you hear then? Pleasant stuff, huh? Or the usual? Pushing girls down the stairs. Oh! how about the latest one..."_

_"How you gave that Tiffany girl your ring and humuliated Gabriella? I don't believe that."_

In the dim lighting of the screen, Troy could see Gabriella's face. Now, finally, _finally _she would know.

_"You don't seem like the type of person who would do that. Besides...I was there. I saw everything, including the look on your face. And I see the way you look at Tiffany. There's no way you like her. You like Gabriella. I can tell...Yeah, I know. It seems like everyone is against you. But like I said, I was there. I know everything."_

_"Too bad the whole school doesn't. Even Gabriella hates me now. And Sharpay, too."_

_"Yeah, well, Gabriella's stubborn. And Sharpay...I don't know her too well, but..."_

_"Well, at least someone believes me."_

_"Wait. Just answer me one thing." There was a pause. "Do you really love Gabriella?"_

Everyone leaned in, waiting for the answer. They were completely captivated now, the fear and panic now gone. As if the gym was just a quiet theatre and the screen was a projection of a long awaited film.

_"More than you can imagine."_

Suddenly, the lights came back on.

People turned to each other and whispered. What was this? What was going on?

Gabriella looked at Troy, her brown eyes ridden with guilt.

"Troy," she said. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I should've believed you."

Troy smiled. "It's okay."

A tear trickled out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm so stupid," Gabriella cried. "I actually believed that you liked her-"

Suddenly, Troy grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug. He whispered again, "It's okay."

The entire crowd watched and a loud chorus of "awwww" went through the gym. Sharpay gave out a loud sniff and Ryan stared at her in shock.

"Are you crying?" he whispered.

Ooh! He probably deserved that kick.

Suddenly, the MC pushed its way into the crowd.

He cleared his throat. "I would just like to announce the winners."

Suddenly, the crowd was still.

"For second runner up," the MC said. "Pamela's School of Arts."

A large cheer came from a corner and everyone applauded.

"For first runner up," the MC went on, "The Hot Stuff Dance School."

Another cheer, this time louder.

"And in first place," the MC finally said.

The air was still as everybody waited. Some leaned in, eager to hear the grand prize winner.

"In first place," the MC finally said, "...the Johnson's School of Arts."

The sound was ear-shattering as everyone leaped and shouted. Some found Troy and Gabriella in the center and shook their hands eagerly. Others went over to Julie, offering their congratulations.

"We won," Gabriella said. "We actually won!"

"You did it, Brie," Troy told her.

"We did it," Gabriella said, squeezing his hand.

"And you passed gym class!" Taylor added, giving her friend a hug.

For a moment, Gabriella had forgotten about that. Remembering it made this moment even better.

"Let's go out to celebrate!" someone shouted. The entire gym erupted in cheer, making way for the team that had just won the large trophy being carried by the Evans twins.

"Hey, after you change out of the dress," Troy suggested, "why don't we go somewhere else? Ditch the crowd and have that date?"

Gabriella smiled.

"I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
